CAREERS NOW 03-11-09

Recognize the String-Along Game

DEAR JOYCE: I've been waiting for nearly three months for one of two good job offers to materialize. Both potential employers have indicated strong interest. A friend at one of the companies keeps saying that the time isn't right yet, and at the other, the hiring manager says something about a fiscal year budget change. It's upsetting. I know times are bad but why do people hold out the possibility of an offer if they don't mean to follow through? - B.T.W.

They hate to say no, especially after virtually saying yes. Or the companies' financials are far more critical than they've told you. In either case, you're upsetting yourself without gain. Stop giving yourself heartburn over what you cannot control.

Instead, focus on what you can control and that's to continue an all-out job hunt until the day you report to work. Even after a verbal offer, the situation can fall apart, leaving you with a loss of momentum as well as a loss of job.

Today's hiring traffic is skirting gridlock at the big companies as they keep shedding employees or institute hiring freezes. That's why it' particularly important to recognize a stall when you hear one:

"We need to see a few more people before the deal can be done, but personally I'm pulling for you."

"The HR manager has been blocking your hire but there's going to be a chance there son - hang on."

"The hiring freeze should be over when business picks up; we're expecting a great quarter."

Some string-alongs actually may be true. But who cares? The end result for you is the same: zero. The only intelligent thing to do is to redouble your efforts to get an offer good enough to accept, or to use it to leverage the offer you really want.

One indication that the string-along has some veracity is when your references have been contacted. Another sign of truthfulness is when the stall contains a time element: "If you don't get a call from HR this week, call me"

But in today's super cautious environment, even these good signs are not proof that the hiring process won't be derailed before it reaches a speedy conclusion in your favor.

An ambiguous answer doesn't mean you shouldn't keep following up with uncertain prospects, but it does signal an urgency to keep your search in high gear. The longer you don't get a firm "yes," the more likely you are to get a final "no."

DEAR JOYCE: Do you have tips on using professional meetings, conferences and trade shows to job hunt? - J.R.

For local meetings, show up about 15 minutes early. Read the badges spread out on the entrance table to see who you want to meet. The organization's officers are likely to turn up early too - ask them if you can join a committee.

Get business cards from everyone you speak with so that you can follow up. At the cash bar and later at tables, talk about anything, but bring up the fact that you're in career transition. When you make a promising connection, ask if you can send your resume for feedback and referrals (don't ask for a job). If you're unemployed, make sure your business card has contact information on the front side, and, on the back side, a branding statement of 50 or so words that will help new contacts remember you (Google "professional branding statements")

For national meetings, ideally you should prepare your strategy several months in advance, which will give you time to involve yourself with the sponsoring organization. You could, for example, meet a couple of hundred people by volunteering to be a host at one of the organization's hospitality suites.

Attend seminars on topics you know about so your questions and comments will impress others. Stand at the back of seminar rooms to shake hands with potential contacts before and after a speech. In slow times, visit the booths on the exhibit floor, gathering referrals that can lead to future interviews.

Working meetings isn't the speediest of job search techniques, but all your effort to expand your network add up and your efforts may pay off sooner than you think.

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