Negotiating with Your Employer Post Pandemic

Posted by boblarson on July 6, 2021

CAREER REPORT JULY – SEPTEMBER 2021 ISSUE # 246

Negotiating with Your Employer Post Pandemic

If you are like many professionals, you’ve been waiting to see how your workplace will adjust to the PPN (Post Pandemic Normal) , if one exists?

While the economy looks to be turning around, experts say you may have to wait a bit longer for a real salary increase because companies remain cautiously frugal and not sure of the work force options with new acceptable remote options.

One new option that did not exist seamlessly pre-pandemic are remote workers. But now that remote workers are becoming more the norm. Companies now can hire from lower cost of living areas of the country or offshore and pay workers less for the same skill set. So that the logical line “I am more productive from home than the office” might have unanticipated consequences long term.

Do not be discouraged, though. Since firms are also becoming concerned about retaining their best employees. Now might be a good time to negotiate for other things that could make your job easier or sweeten the deal for you. Like a fixed work from home schedule, better home computer systems, a flexible hourly schedule with meetings attendance optional.

Before you ask for anything; however, think about what would make your job or life better—and consider if those things will be easy for the company to say yes to and continue to maintain a solid work force as more workers return to the office.

When you have your performance review, go over your job description and compare it to what you are already actually doing a lot has change during the past 12-18 months. There might be quite a discrepancy which might merit a promotion or change in hours and compensation.

Ask your manager for a mid-year review to make your case. While many companies froze salaries during the pandemic, several of them added exceptions for promotions.

If it is your life that could use some renegotiation, ask to customize your work schedule with a flexible start time or a few weeks a month of telecommuting. But do not focus exclusively on your needs when you ask. Explain how having a week without a lengthy commute in a quiet home office will help increase your productivity or improve your work.

And don’t give up if your first request isn’t accepted find out what about your offers don’t work and use to create something that will. Now is the once in lifetime window of change hopefully you can make it work towards yours and your employer’s advantage.

NEWS FROM BERMAN LARSON KANE

A steady increase in new orders continues to materialize during the past quarter and we are very optimistic going forward. Most of our clients are seeing an increase in their businesses and see and opportunity for quick recovery. This fast-paced recovery should lead to a new increased hiring demands at all levels of the work force.

During the early months of the pandemic many economists were predicting a V shape recover. We believe they were correct with this projection just did not realize how long and severe the bottom of the V would last.

So going into the third quarter we at Berman Larson Kane see promising signs of employee demand at all levels for the rest of 2021.

Stay healthy and enjoy the new normal that will emerge. We will all be stronger, healthier, and wiser from our pandemic experiences.

Older Workers Not Looking to Retire Post Pandemic

Posted by boblarson on April 13, 2021

CAREER REPORT APRIL-JUNE 2021 ISSUE # 245

Older Workers Not Looking to Retire Post Pandemic

If you are an older worker looking to delay retirement, it’s important that you look and act youthful, display enthusiasm for what you do, and exhibit a sense of energy. It’s also very important to be well-liked by superiors and co-workers and to demonstrate that you can still make valuable contributions to your company’s success. Clearly, as an older worker, you need to work at showing your employer that you should remain on the job.

Here from an article published by The Bergen Record are some thoughts and advice for older workers who want to keep working, offered by a leading outplacement consultant:

Look and Act Young — Everyone knows people who are 50 who look and act as if they are 65 and people who are 65 who look and act as if they are 50. So be sure to dress in currently fashionable clothes and show enthusiasm for your work. Also, exhibit a sense of excitement and energy as well — traits that younger individuals do not always show.

Be Likeable — In some cases, workers near retirement or even those with a lot of seniority, begin to detach from their jobs and co-workers. By doing so you are making a big mistake. That’s because being disliked, especially by people in authority, is the single most important reason people are discharged — not for their lack of skills and abilities. You were liked when you were hired and you must consciously work at maintaining that kind of loyalty and rapport with your employer. It will not continue automatically.

Don’t Take Things For Granted — In the workplace, people also fall out of favor by becoming careless or overconfident about themselves. That is when you are most likely to make mistakes that will downgrade you in the eyes of your supervisor. Don’t let it happen. Keep up your good qualities.

Demonstrate Flexibility And Creativity — Talk to your employer about ways you can solve problems and develop ideas to make your employer more money or be more competitive. You want to counteract stereotypes that suggest older workers do not have imagination.

Stress Relevant Experience — Your employer should feel that you can continue in your position and possibly take on new tasks. It’s important to convince your boss that age has nothing to do with learning new concepts and accepting new ways of doing things.

Stay Current And Embrace Technology — When deciding to keep your position, it will be helpful if you are up-to-date on current technology and new applications. Do not appear as if the world has passed you by.

Get Yourself Noticed — Consider this idea: Find out what your supervisor’s favorite civic or charitable activities are and volunteer to work for those organizations. That will bring you into regular contact with the supervisor in a non-job situation, which should increase your visibility and give you additional opportunities to make a favorable impression. Developing some shared experiences off the job will be a definite plus for you.

Make Your Intentions Known – If your employer may be expecting you to end your service with the company soon due to retirement, it’s critical that you advise your superiors that you want to keep working. Your bosses may be interviewing for your replacement, if they have not found one already.

Emphasize Loyalty — When you decide to tell your employer you do not wish to retire, it will be important to outline why they should keep you on. Be sure to demonstrate that you are still committed to your job; employers need to feel that employees are 100 percent dedicated to the company.

NEWS FROM BLK

We are very pleased to celebrate out 41^st anniversary this quarter. We have witnessed a lot of changes in the staffing business and have done our best to adjust to shifting economic and technology climates. This past quarter we have implemented an artificial intelligent applicant tracking and CRM that we are already witnessing improvements of service to hiring authorities and jobseekers.

As president to Berman Larson Kane for 41 years; I continue to be amazed at the hiring process and job seeking skills that lead to a successful hire and career advancement. Some of the changes over the decades have required pivot adjustments to business processes. However, the one constant over the years has been a jobseeker who has a love for what they do and an employer who needs it done. Assisting in that match is the magic of staffing.

Thanks for your support over the decades we all so greatly appreciate it ….Bob Larson, CPC

Saying Goodbye to a Job Gracefully

Posted by boblarson on January 15, 2021

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Bob-BLK-head-shot.jpg — Bob Larson, CPC

Career Report: January – March 2021 — Issue 244

Saying Goodbye to a Job Gracefully

As talk of a thaw in pandemic hiring freezes rises, many people are already planning to look for a new position when the job market picks up. In fact, one recent survey revealed that as many as 40 percent of workers say they are planning to leave their jobs when the economy returns post pandemic. And while it may be tempting to give the boss an earful if you do land a new job, workers need to keep in mind that the way they quit can have a long term impact on their career.

Here are some tips from the newspaper article on to resign from a job on good terms:

Be prepared. Review your employee handbook or employment contract before announcing your decision, so you know what your company policy is regarding resignations, severance, return of company property, and pay for unused vacation time. Also, find out the company’s reference policy to see what information will be disclosed to a prospective employer. If you have another job lined up, be sure to have your offer in writing before you resign.
Use it or loose it. If you haven’t used vacation time and will lose it if you quit, you might want to use your time before leaving or link it to your resignation date. But if you don’t want to burn any bridges, don’t take vacation and announce your departure just after your return.
Make an appointment. “Be formal and make an appointment with your boss,” recommended Tanya Maslach, a San Diego, Calif., career expert who specializes in relationship management issues. “Be prepared and engaging—and be transparent,” Maslach said. She also recommends asking your boss how you can help make the transition easier. After the discussion, put your resignation in a hard-copy letter that includes your last day and any transitional help you’ve offered.
Give Two weeks Notice. Two weeks advance notice is still standard but experts recommend offering more time if you’ve worked at a company for more than five years. Importantly, though, you also need to be prepared to leave right away—some companies require it.
Don’t take the stapler. “It’s not worth it,” said Michael J. Goldfarb, president of Northridge, Calif.-based Holman HR. “If there are security cameras or coworkers with a grudge, stealing from the company doesn’t look good.” In some cases, you could also end up getting billed for the missing equipment—or even taken to court, he said.
Scrub your digital footprint. Clear your browser cache, remove passwords to Websites you use from work, such as your personal email or online bank account and delete any personal files on your work computer that aren’t relevant to work. Don’t delete anything work related if you’re required to keep it.
Be honest but remain positive. Be helpful during the exit interview, but keep responses simple and professional. Don’t use the session to lay blame or rant about the workplace. “Whatever you do, don’t confess about how much you disliked working there,” said Maslach.
Stay close. Consider joining an employee alumni association, which often serves as a networking group for former employees. It can be a good way to keep up with changes in the company and industry—and find leads to new jobs down the road. Lastly, make an effort to keep in touch with coworkers you worked with; they may end up in management roles.

News from BLK

In our continuous effort to better service hiring companies and job-seekers Berman Larson Kane will be upgrading its ATS utilizing AI technologies to better serve all. “We are very excited about the introduction of AI and look forward to adding additional efficiencies to our talent discovery systems and improving our abilities to present exciting career opportunities to job-seeker” said Bob Larson, CPC president of Berman Larson Kane

Berman Larson Kane will be celebrating our 41 year anniversary on April 1, 2021. We thank all clients, job-seekers & staff for their support in achieving this milestone and look forward to continuing providing “The Best Staffing Options” over future decades.

Pandemic Unemployment and Thanksgiving

Posted by boblarson on November 23, 2020

We must be grateful for our health, family and our jobs as unemployment continues to rise in numerous sectors of our economy.

During this Thanksgiving Holiday let us remember the millions of good folks who are adversely affected by our unemployment numbers as this pandemic spreads wildly across our country and the world.

Over the past decades the personal painful histories that I have witnessed, due to no job or meaningful work, continues to be heart wrenching and today with the health crises all around us this pain is experienced by way to many good people.

During this day of thanks, I encourage each of you as HR professionals to lend a hand, take a phone call, review a resume, coach an interview or pass on some advice to a challenged job-seeker. We all have a special gift of knowledge and compassion that can only help the unemployed.

As president of our organization I assure you that we continue our community out-reach program to assist all job-seekers with their efforts to gain solid employment. Our programs during the past 12 years have assisted numerous individuals. My wish is by Thanksgiving 2021 that we are all be healthy and the need for unemployment service will return to more acceptable levels.

We at Berman Larson Kane, thank each of you for your business support during our forty year history. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and take a moment to please be thankful for your job and take a moment to coach a less fortunate job-seeker.

Four must-have job skills that workers should aim to possess during and post-pandemic

Posted by boblarson on October 8, 2020

October – December Issue # 243

Clear Communications – Whatever their level, communication is key for workers to advance. “This is really the ability to clearly articulate your point of view and the ability to create a connection through communication,” said Holly Paul, U.S. recruiting leader.

For job seekers in particular, clear communication can provide a snapshot of their work style to employers. “I can walk away from a five-minute conversation and feel their enthusiasm and have a good understanding of what’s important to them,” Paul told the newspaper.

As office conversations increasingly move online, some workers are losing or never developing the ability to give a presentation, for example. Others may be unable to write coherently for longer than, say, 140 characters.

“Technology in some ways has taken away our ability to write well. People are in such a hurry that they are multitasking,” and they skip basics such as spelling and proofing, said Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half International, a Menlo Park, Calif., staffing firm.

Personal Branding – Human-resources executives scour blogs, Twitter and professional networking sites such as LinkedIn when researching candidates, and it’s important that they like what they find, the article pointed out. That’s your brand, that’s how you represent yourself,” said Peter Handal, CEO of Dale Carnegie Training, a Hapuppauge, N.Y., provider of workplace-training services. “If you post something that comes back to haunt you, people will see that.”

Workers also should make sure their personal brand is attractive and reflects well on employers. “More and more employers are looking for employees to tweet on their behalf, to blog on their behalf, to build an audience and write compelling, snappy posts,” Meredith Haberfeld, an executive and career coach in New York, told the newspaper.

Flexibility – The ability to be flexible and quickly respond to an employer’s changing needs will be important next year as organizations try to respond nimbly to customers. “A lot of companies want us to work with their employees about how to get out of their comfort zone, how to adapt,” said Handal. “Somebody’s job market today may not be the same as next year.”

The ability to learn new skills is of top importance, said George Boué, human-resources vice president for Stiles, a real-estate services company in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “We want to know that if we roll out a new program or new tools that folks we have on board are going to be open to learning,” he said.

Productivity Improvement –Workers should find new ways to increase productivity, experts said. Executives are looking for a 20 percent improvement in employee performance from current levels, according to a recent survey by Corporate Executive Board, an Arlington, Va., business research and advisory firm.

“When you are at your job, do you volunteer for projects? Are you looking for creative ways to help the organization,” McDonald said. “The way to really differentiate yourself is to be proactive.”

Companies that are considering adding workers in coming years want current employees to operate in growth mode now, the article pointed out. “My clients are looking for employees that have a great ability to understand what is wanted and needed, rather than needing to be told,” Haberfield said.

Even hiring managers need to work on certain skills as organizations consider expanding next year. “The ability to spot talent and hire people has fallen out of use over post pandemic months said an organizational psychologist in New York. “As the economy turns around, companies will have to work harder to retain talented employees. Companies have trimmed the fat, and now they have to build the muscle.”

NEWS FROM BLK

Zoom interviews, virtual onboarding, remote desktops the world is spinning with change here at Berman Larson Kane and the world of employment. We are not sure of when or what the other side of a Covid work environments will look like. But we are 100% sure that it will not return to the past.

Berman Larson Kane is very blessed to have several clients continuing to build and replenish their teams. With some niche environments getting stronger and others weaken. This pandemic has behaved like a tornado destroying one business and leaving one across the street untouched and able to flourish.

As we experience this 4^th quarter. We are thankful for our continuing business and planning another 40 years. Hoping for a vaccine in 2021so that we can all experience the new normal. Good Health to ALL!

Make the Best of Every Zoom Meeting

Posted by boblarson on July 5, 2020

July-September Career Report Issue # 242

If you don’t like attending Zoom meetings, you’re not alone. Most workers feel there are simply too many on-line meetings to attend on a daily and weekly basis, and that many of them are entirely unnecessary. But virtual meetings don’t have to be that way here are two secrets to making virtually any meeting both interesting and productive.

The first is to use the meeting to practice being “present moment-oriented.” In other words, try to absorb yourself in the meeting and don’t allow your mind to wander. Make a deliberate attempt to be focused allowing you to get as much value out of the experience as possible. Do not minimize the screen continue to look into the camera and keep those emails and text messages in off mode.

You can spend your time daydreaming or wishing you were somewhere else, but that doesn’t help you in your job or in your career. These virtual meetings provide an opportunity to show your superiors and coworkers that you are really a good listener. This will help you be highly responsive to whatever is being discussed. That way, if there is something you can contribute, you can make a strong impression with your answer.

Employing the “present moment” technique you will find meetings to be far more interesting. Additional insights will come to mind and your contributions will grow. Listening intently will also increase your sense of respect from others. They may not be consciously aware of it, but it seems that when those present in a meeting sense that you are truly paying attention, they want to listen to you as well.

The second secret is to tell yourself that you are going to learn something from each meeting. Listen intently to what is said and try to hear something you don’t already know. Rather than comparing what you’re hearing to what you already believe, search for new wisdom, a new insight, or a new way to do something.

Instead of saying “Yeah, Yeah, I already know this stuff,” try to clear your mind and allow yourself to have a beginner’s mind.

You will find the results quite impressive and significant. Your learning curve will dramatically increase, and meetings will become fun again. Why not spend this time in a productive, healthy way, practicing valuable emotional skills instead of wishing you could turn off your camera and mute your boss.

Try practicing staying fully present and by doing you’ll make your work life more interesting and effective. And ZOOM FATIGUE will become less of a reality and you might actually enjoy the experience.

NEW FROM BLK

With Unemployment rates at historical highs and most industries in uncharted waters; we at Berman Larson Kane are doing our best to adjust our staffing services to our clients needs.

We wish we had some answers but are remaining flexible and ready to pivot at a moments notice.

For the present we are healthy and thankful. Our migration to virtual desktops several years ago has allowed us to adapt seamlessly to remote work from home model.

We wish all good health and are always available to listen to your concerns and see if we can assist as the new normal emerges. Stay well and healthy.

Making Yourself Indispensable

Posted by boblarson on April 9, 2020

April – June 2020 – Career Report – Issue 241

Making Yourself Indispensable During and After the Shut-Down

Your company, like most others, will go through many transitions during this pandemic shut-down. If you have managed to survive or have been furloughed until the isolation is lifted; your company viewed you as a well-regarded employee who possesses skills and knowledge that make you an important member of its team. But now you want to do more than just hold on. You want to become an indispensable employee. In the following Q&A article from The New York Times during the 2008-09 recession, careers columnist Eilene Zimmerman offers a variety of ideas to help you to succeed.

Q. How can you make yourself more valuable to your company and improve your chances of a future promotion?

You can enhance your odds of a promotion by suggesting ways to solve problems, taking the initiative on projects, sharpening your skills and showing a willingness to help others. Find ways that the company can earn more money and spend less, said Larry Myler, chief executive of the consulting firm More or Less Inc., in Provo, Utah. When you see ways to cut costs or streamline processes, develop a plan and write a proposal, Myler said.

Presenting that to your manager “shows you’re taking initiative, which makes you more valuable,” he told the newspaper. “You will be seen as a person who is mindful of the company’s bottom line and who has the ability to do something about it. That’s huge.”

Q. How do you carve out a niche for yourself in the company–one that sets you apart as an expert in a specific area and how do you manage to do that while handling your usual job responsibilities?

To create that niche, focus on what you already know, rather than picking a new area and then trying to learn all about it, said Vaughan Evans, a career strategist in London. “Let’s say you are very proficient with numbers, quantitative work and using the Excel program,” Evans said. “Why not become a master at Excel so that within the origination, you are the go-to person for that program?”

Building on your strengths – and letting your weaknesses go – will enable you to carve out a niche. Keep in mind, though, that your area of expertise needs to be important to the organization, Evans added.

Q. Should you ask your manager whether the company would be willing to pay for additional training?

Some career experts say that during challenging economic times, employees should be cautious about asking their companies to cover costs for training, conferences or additional education. Myler suggested that if you do ask, be frugal about it. “Asking your company to cover the cost of attendance at a pricey conference probably won’t go over well,” he said. “Instead, ask if they will pay for the conference notes—usually a nominal cost—and do self-study instead.”

Ingrid Stabb, co-author of “The Career With You,” suggested checking with human resources to see whether tuition reimbursement is among your benefits. That money can be used to pay for a variety of courses that further your expertise in a particular area, she said. If the company won’t pay, you might want to consider footing the bill yourself for evening or weekend classes or for online courses.

Q. What’s the best way to make management aware of steps you are taking to enhance your skills and expertise, without sounding obnoxious about it?

Show your strengths in a way that benefits your boss and everyone in your department. Stabb said: “If your strength is organizing data, for example, and you know there is all this data your boss has but hasn’t organized, create a spreadsheet table that makes it easier for the department to access the information, and then offer to lead a brown-bag lunch presentation to explain how to read it.

Being helpful toward and protective of others is another way to showcase your knowledge – in a nonthreatening way. This applies to both colleagues and managers. For example, when you have information that can be useful to others, share it, said Sandra Naiman, owner of the executive coaching firm SNM Partners in Denver and author of “High Achievers Secret Codebook: The Unwritten Rules for Success at Work.” This could include articles in trade journals, information on the company’s intranet and relevant online sources.

When others go out of their way to help you in a similar manner, always give them credit by sending an e-mail message to their boss to describe the help, she told the newspaper.

“The bottom line is you want to be known and relied upon by many people in the organization as possible,” Naiman said. “The more people who depend upon you for their success, the more valuable you become.”

NEWS from BLK

Like the rest of the world we at BLK are scrambling to establish a new normal as the business world is on hold and have continued our virtual model. Our talent discovery team is devoting its time to a few medical clients that are adjusting to the changing demands put onto the healthcare system. Other members of our team are putting energies into building talent ques so we are prepared for staffing demands once the non-essential business ban is lifted.

April 1^st was BLK’s 40^th Anniversary of assisting job seekers and employers with their hiring challenges. That’s right “April Fools Day” I so wish this was a dream that we are experiencing. As president of Berman Larson Kane for the past 40 years I have no doubt that a new and better normal will emerge as we all return to good health. Having weathered numerous unanticipated economic storms, recessions, world events and work restructurings I have no doubt that ”this too shall pass”.

Stay healthy. Keep your social distance and virus FREE.

March 2020 Career Report Issue 240

Posted by boblarson on March 4, 2020

HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT EMPLOYEES

March 2020 – Career Report – Issue 240

HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT EMPLOYEES

Successfully recruiting new employees to your team can be a grueling process. It can take months to find someone who’s the perfect fit for both the position and company culture – and sometimes, when the going’s really rough, it can be tempting to settle on someone who’s good…but not great.

But according to an article published by the blog Hubspot.com, bad hiring decisions are not only frustrating for you and your team, they can also jeopardize the longevity of other valuable employees, slow down productivity, and cost your company money.

So what should hiring managers look for in candidates to ensure they aren’t setting themselves up for failure?

According to the article, when looking for prospective employees, focus on those who you feel possess the following six qualities:

Values Match the Company’s Message – Knowing what values the individual is looking for in a company helps better understand whether or not they will fit the organization office culture.
A Desire to Learn – Hiring managers want individuals on their team who want to continue learning. During the interview process, look for candidates who show excitement towards growth.
Long-term Potential – With turnover being extremely costly, look for new hires that show a long-term interest in the company and aspire to work their way up the corporate ladder.
Enthusiasm For the Position –For a new hire, you want someone who is assertive in performing necessary responsibilities, portrays excitement for daily tasks and is inspired to contribute to the company.
Good Communications Skills – It is necessary to have employees who can respectfully communicate and articulate the company’s message clearly to business professionals and clients so that the organization’s reputation remains positive.
Trustworthiness and Responsibility — An employer needs to be able to put full trust in their employee’s ability to perform and complete tasks accurately in order to maintain a positive and productive office culture. Look for employees who are good with taking direction and take responsibility for their work.

By staying focused on these six qualities, you’ll be weeding out those who can have a negative impact on your business and enhance your chances of hiring someone who can contribute to your organization’s growth and success.

NEWS FROM BLK

Coronavirus, Primary Elections, Global Warming and Stock Market Gyrations? How does one predict the effects on the job market? We have no idea. Good news is February’s job creation numbers are predicted to be in the high one hundred thousands. So short term we are ok ….long term is a wild card.

As for this moment we are witnessing shortages in several niches with big data candidates leading the shortage. Based on the recent past we are assuming healthcare’s climb will continue on a rapid upward path with some retraction in many of the service jobs including retail and hospitality.

As president of Berman Larson Kane we thank all for their business and look forward to celebrating our 40^th anniversary on April 1^st. It has been a long and wild ride for 4 decades and the future appears to continue to generate extreme ups and downs.

February 2020 Career Report Issue 239

Posted by boblarson on February 4, 2020

February 2020 Career Report Issue 239

FOLLOWING UP AFTER AN INTERVIEW

Comparisons between job hunting and dating are common, and never are they truer than when it comes to the follow-up after the initial interview or first date, according to an article from CareerBuilder.com.

After either meeting, if you’re interested you want to let the other person know, but you don’t want to appear desperate. You also don’t want to feel foolish if the employer or the date had no intention of contacting you again. On the other hand, what if the employer or the date is waiting for you to make the first call? If you don’t follow-up promptly, it might indicate a lack of interest and you might miss out on a great job or a great romance.

In the case of the interview, the article noted, you end up asking yourself many questions and imagining hypothetical situations. “If I follow up now, do I seem desperate? If I wait too long, will they think I’m lazy? What if I’m the front-runner but I bug them and they cross my name off the list? What if I’m tied with someone else and my initiative gives me the edge?” There are so many questions and no definite answers to any of them.

As with dating, job hunts don’t have rules set in stone and careful navigation is always key. At best, you need to do what feels right and see what happens; ultimately you have to use your judgment and hope for the best.

Here, from the CareerBuilder.com article, are three possible methods for following up with an employer after an interview and ways to know if you’ve crossed the line from eager to annoying:

1. The thank-you note is necessary after an interview, and no job seeker can afford to forgo it. Thank-you notes tell hiring managers that you respect their time. They have packed schedules and can afford to spend time interviewing only a select group of applicants, so your note acknowledges how grateful you are to get some face time.

Appropriate: An e-mailed note on the same day of the interview shows that you are courteous and don’t dawdle. For most employers, e-mail is the acceptable form of thanks because e-mail is a part of everyday business life and arrives quickly. A handwritten letter can be sent as a supplement to the e-mail if you want to stress your gratitude or you know the interviewer is old-fashioned.

Overkill: If you’re going to follow up with a letter after your follow-up letter, think again. You already said thank you, so what else do you need to say? Both you and the hiring manager know that another letter is your way of asking, “Did I get the job?” So don’t clog the hiring manager’s inbox with more notes unless you want to be thought of as a pest.

2. The phone call is daunting and may not be the correct move in every job situation. In fact, many job postings specifically state, “No phone calls.” Unless you’re feeling brave, you might want to skip it.

Appropriate: Unless you were specifically instructed not to call the hiring manager or another contact, you can make the call after an appropriate amount of time has passed. In this case, if you were given a deadline for when a decision would be made, let it pass and wait a few extra days and then make the call.

Overkill: The phone call is one of the easiest ways to sabotage your image. Call once, when appropriate, and don’t call again unless you’ve been told to. Phone calls are a nuisance in a way that letters and e-mails aren’t. You can decline to open a message or just read it and ignore it. A phone call is harder to ignore if it requires the hiring manager to screen his or her calls once you become a repeat offender. If the company wants you, it probably won’t forget to call you.

3. The pop-in visit causes you anxiety when your in-laws do it. Your place is a mess and suddenly you’re forced to entertain people who you might not like very much anyway. Don’t do that to an employer if you want to be considered for a job.

Appropriate: Stopping by to visit the company is rarely acceptable. Unless you have an explicit indication that you’re welcome to show up uninvited, which would actually imply that you are invited, showing up in person is inappropriate. This follow-up is one case where once is almost certainly too much.

Overkill: When you show up and the hiring manager or receptionist gives you a look that says, “Why are you here?” you’ll know you’ve crossed a line. Employers are busy — they have schedules, meetings, clients and tasks. By showing up unannounced, you not only disrupt their routine but also imply that you are more important than their obligations and deserve their immediate attention.

Of course, the article noted, you’re bound to meet someone who broke one of these rules and impressed the hiring manager by his or her audacity. Just be aware, though, that by doing so you’re risking your professional reputation and could be removing yourself from the running for a job where you were a top candidate.

NEW FROM BLK:

2020 is off to a quick hiring start. We at BLK have seen an influx of new orders that mostly represent additions to staff. Hiring is strong across most segments with competition for top talent becoming increasingly highly competitive.

Job-seekers continue to gain advantages as hiring managers look to fill increasing skill niches to assure work is being done in a timely fashion.

This year being the 40^th year of business for Berman Larson Kane we thank all for your continuous support and look forward to servicing both job-seekers and hiring authorities. It is truly a privilege and honor to serve.