Harrison Barnes » potential jobs

Expose Yourself to Pain in Your Job Search

Harrison Barnes — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:22:48 +0000

When I was growing up, I did not have any friends whose parents were attorneys. In fact, I did not really know any attorneys until I got to college. A girlfriend of mine at that time had a friend whose stepfather was an attorney. I met him during my senior year, when I was applying to law schools. He seemed nice enough, and we shook hands and exchanged pleasantries, and that was that. When I went to law school several months later, I decided that I would write him to tell him that I was looking for a summer job. I sent him a letter reintroducing myself and told him that I would be calling him over the Christmas break. I was excited about the possibility of working in his law firm over the summer, as it was one of the biggest law firms in Detroit. I will never forget calling him the day after Christmas. I called his office at approximately 9:00 a.m., and he picked up his phone on the first ring. I reminded him who I was and that I had sent him a letter with my resume recently. “I am not sure why you wrote me a letter with your resume,” he said. “It was not really appropriate to send me that and it is also not appropriate to be calling me.” With that, the attorney lightly placed the receiver down and hung up the phone. After this occurred, I found myself extremely flustered. My heart sank into my chest. All sorts of feelings of inadequacy, shame, and so forth came up. Since this was one of the largest law firms in Detroit at the time, I was concerned that I might have done profound damage to my future. Moreover, I wondered if there was something wrong with me that had made the attorney treat me like this. I wondered if it would be possible for me ever to get a job as an attorney. I grew up in a neighborhood of Detroit that was not that nice. I was raised largely by a single mother and we did not travel in the same circles as the attorney and his family. I wondered if I was suffering some sort of class discrimination or some sort of negative treatment because I was not cut from the correct cloth. I was very upset about this. Since this was my first experience looking for a full-time job, I reasoned that it was never a good idea to call people on the phone when looking for a job. I reasoned that the best thing to do was to simply send a letter and avoid any sort of conflict. I reasoned that rejection is less likely when you do not put yourself out on the line as I had done with the phone call. Several years later, I briefly started my own law firm, and my number was listed in the Yellow Pages. A girl on summer vacation from her first year of college called me on the phone looking for a summer job. I immediately invited her in to speak with me and commended her on her bravery for calling me. I offered her a job on the spot. At the time, I only had one other employee. For the next few summers she worked for me. Then, before she went off to her senior year of college I made her a job offer of $40,000 a year starting right out of college. She also had a job offer at Enron at the time; however, this offer was pulled when the company collapsed spectacularly. She ended up starting in our company after graduating from college and worked at the company for some time. She never would have gotten a job with our company had she not been brave enough to call me on the phone. Throughout the years, I have hired numerous people who called me before sending a resume. I have always admired the risk these people take of in-person rejection. It must be incredibly painful to be rejected on the phone like that. I know it was for me personally, when I first picked up the phone and started looking for a job. Making in-person contact, though, can make a giant difference and is something that can fundamentally change the quality of the experience you have in your job search and life. I used to operate a residential and commercial asphalt business in Detroit. For the first year or so of doing this job, I spent thousands of dollars putting flyers in mailboxes, mailing out letters, and getting the word out by mail. However, it was very rare that anyone called me on the phone looking for an estimate. After giving an estimate, my odds of getting the job were always quite slim. It was not until I started going door to door selling the service that my business took off. In fact, I would estimate that I did twenty times more business by going door-to-door than I would have done had I simply passed out flyers and sent letters. What do you think this means for your career? In the case of calling around looking for a job, the difference you are going to get between calling and just e-mailing a resume is huge—in fact, the improvement you will get is likely to be exponential. Right now, I know someone who is extremely talented and really needs a job. Despite this person’s incredible talent, there are aspects of their resume and experience that are likely to result in them being quickly turned away for interviews, if they simply mail or e-mail their resume to an employer. For at least the past month, this person has been e-mailing out a resume here and there with very little success whatsoever. A few weeks ago, I sat down with this person and gave them a list of more than 100 employers they needed to contact by calling on the phone. I was not talking about calling the Human Resources Office, but instead, calling people inside the employer’s office, who are likely to have a need for this person. These are the sorts of phone calls that these people are not expecting and also the sorts of calls that are likely to lead to the greatest rewards. Since this is someone I have been friends with for some time, I wanted to make sure they got a job and I told them what it is going to take to go the limit and get a job. Well, it has been a few weeks and I am confident that this person has not made a single phone call. We are talking about someone who is extremely talented and has a history of very high level achievement—a top 1% sort of person. Why no phone calls? I have no idea; however, my belief is that this person is afraid of making phone calls to employers because they are afraid of the rejection and the pain they will feel when they are rejected. It does not feel good to have people put down the phone on you. It does not feel good to not be acknowledged. It does not feel good to feel you are not wanted. Despite the need for a job and the incredible importance of having a good job, most people would much rather avoid the pain of in-person rejection rather than take a risk. Several months ago, I read a book by the founder of Zappos, Tony Hsieh. Here, he wrote about the tremendous pain and difficulty he experienced during a mountain climb he did voluntarily after selling a company. Shivering, starving, vomiting, and so forth does not sound like a lot of fun to me. What is interesting, though, is that many of the most successful people in the world consistently expose themselves to pain and all sorts of difficulties. My belief is that they feel that this pain raises their threshold for pain and makes them stronger. Enduring pain and doing what others will not do always makes you stronger and ultimately provides you a better life. Everything that we do is a cause set in motion. Not picking up the phone and calling an employer about a potential job is a cause set in motion. Allowing someone to not have to reject you face-to-face is a cause set in motion. Spending more time on a better cover letter for your job search is a cause set in motion. Researching more job openings and employers to send your resume to is a cause set in motion. In fact, everything that you do is a cause set in motion. When I was in law school, I became acquainted with an admissions officer at the school. Each year, a given number of students are put on various wait lists at graduate schools—to be admitted if a certain number of people do not show up, for example. A little known fact is that at numerous graduate schools each year, a few people from all over the country travel to the admissions office and sit in the lobby the first day or so of school to wait and see if a spot opens up. These brave souls simply tell the admissions office they are there and to let them know if a spot opens up. “You are welcome to wait, but it will not make a difference,” they are always told. From what I understand, a good portion of these people are admitted every year. By taking this extreme action and showing their commitment—and exposing themselves to the potential pain of in-person rejection—these people are far more likely to get off wait lists than people who simply wait in the background. The more pain you are willing to expose yourself to, the better you will generally do. When you take the hard path in your job search and do things that others are not willing (or are afraid) to do … you always end up far better off than those who do things the easy way. THE LESSON People succeed by taking risks in their job search, potentially exposing themselves to pain and rejection. Despite the need for a job, most people would rather avoid risk instead of facing the pain of an in-person rejection. You must realize that risk and pain are inherent in a successful job search, will make you stronger, and ultimately lead you to a better life.

The Sun Does Not Always Shine Forever

Harrison Barnes — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:14:18 +0000

One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was: “The sun does not always shine forever.” I don’t remember who the person was, or even when I heard it, but the words were so powerful I will never forget them. What this meant to me was good fortune does not continue forever. Instead, the most important thing we can do in our work lives is (1) be ready for change and (2) prepare for change. Instead, what many of us do is guard against change. Guarding against change rarely does any good and often causes harm. Are you in a role in your career right now where you are guarding against change? It is never good to be on the defensive in your career and life. The people who win in their careers and lives are always the people who are on the offensive. When you are on the offensive you are advancing, and when you are on the defensive you are retreating. You cannot retreat forever. Inevitably, you will find yourself boxed in with nowhere to go. You should always be on the offensive. There are many companies in America on the defensive right now. These include companies in the financial industry and numerous manufacturing companies. When I have been out and about in Los Angeles and heard people talking, I’ve heard things like, “No one is hiring. There are no jobs.” While I disagree with this statement, I do believe these people are finding a disproportionate number of firms and companies who are not hiring because they are in retreat. Companies go into retreat when people stop spending, and many give up and simply close their doors. All over the United States, an incredible number of people are being laid off. What is happening is very sad, and it’s devastating to the people being affected by it. When times are good, companies hire people very aggressively. In many cases, they hire people where their skills are actually redundant so that they are better prepared to handle change. When business is good, law firms and other companies start hiring as many people as they possibly can to do the work. The people they hire become very “cocky” and will jump from firm to firm in search of more money or more prestige. Or the people inside the organization may become complacent or will make more demands on the company for benefits and other things. They may refuse to work as many hours. They may band together against management. They may go on message boards and complain about their employer. Meanwhile, these same people watch their lifestyles get better and better, and they go out and purchase nice cars, they may move into nicer apartments or homes, and they feel good about the lives they have achieved. This is what happens all over. When a company is doing well, the people working inside the company decide (rightly so) they have contributed to the growth of the company and want in on “the action.” In the largest companies, the people may unionize. In smaller ones, the people may band together and simply demand more benefits or higher salaries. It may be a good idea to try to get benefits when things are going well. In theory, there is nothing wrong with this idea. This is a process that is repeated over and over at countless organizations around the world when things are going well. During good times, a customer service department may go from one to five people. Other areas of the company may experience similar growth. When the business goes away, as it inevitably does in many recessions, the people in the department start doing everything possible to protect their jobs. Despite the fact very few calls are being received, the people in the customer service department will band together and claim they are all needed to field the few calls coming in. The people will tell of the incredible need for customer service representatives, and how much the company will be affected if they are not all there. These cries for “good customer service” will often come despite the fact there are no customers. The management will listen to this and fear taking action. The management will continue paying these representatives and vendors. Inside law firms, you may see memos or emails like the one below being sent from the partners to the associates about the work loads:

From: John Quinn Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2008 2:10 PM To: Attorneys Subject: things are slow right now More so in some offices than others. Lawyers are funny. In April, May and June we averaged over 200 hours per attorney – an unbelievable, perhaps unparalleled work pace for a firm as large as ours. Many wondered how we could possibly keep that up. Now we’re averaging 150 plus per month and people are worried. So one point to be made here is that “slowness” is relative. The pace is down significantly because a number of major matters, on which scores of attys were working full time, went away–trial ended, the case settled, etc–at the same time. 10 of the largest billing matters in 2008 thru the end of Sept, 9 have been completed. These are the kinds of cases you do not replace immediately. This really shouldn’t be a cause for concern though. Our basic practice strategy–focusing on financial litigation, trial work, being able to be adverse to financial institutions, etc–is clearly sound. In fact, in this business environment, we’re better situated than any firm I know. Lots of claims will be brought arising from the financial chaos and they will require firms that can be adverse to banks. We are at the top of that list. Many law firms will suffer. I don’t think we will. There are lots of business development issues and non-billable tasks to be done. We expect everyone will pitch in on such projects when asked to do so. John B. Quinn Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges, LLP

While there is likely truth to a memo like this, the fact is when work starts decreasing inside companies and law firms, people may get very nervous. The attorneys inside law firms become very nervous because the less work there is, the more they realize the sun may not continue to shine forever. It is a very scary world when we realize we do not always have employment stability. This is what happens in all companies and organizations, however. Things eventually slow down, and jobs eventually begin to disappear. There is a cycle of creation and destruction which characterizes all industries. A few years ago, I was reading about what a big deal Dell Computers was, and how the company was invincible. Now I am reading article after article about its layoffs and declining market share. A couple of years ago, I remember reading articles about how amazing Goldman Sachs was, and how it was the most successful investment bank of all time, and how certain people there were earning 100s of millions of dollars. Now I am reading how this company is no longer an investment bank and had to borrow money from Warren Buffett. Recently, I’ve read about how great Apple Computers is, but even more recently, I’ve read rumors that Steve Jobs is sick and dying. When he dies, the company could lose any momentum it has. Yesterday, I read that in September the American steel industry had one of its best quarters ever, but the final quarter of the year was one of its worst. Now steel plants all over the United States are being shut down, and workers are being laid off. Things are so bad for the US steel industry they are now seeking a government bailout. I read articles like this on a daily basis, and what it all says to me is we cannot take anything for granted. Inside law firms, people start losing their jobs when work slows down. The law firms generally begin whittling away their weakest (i.e., the people they dislike the most, or the people they feel contribute the least) for performance reasons. The attorneys are told their work is not up to par, or asked to look for other jobs. This process will generally occur until the law firm is healthy and earning again. This same process occurs inside companies. The companies will do everything within their power to eliminate as many redundancies as they possibly can so they can return as rapidly as possible to profitability. The more layoffs I’ve read about in the papers recently, the more I realize how the sun has stopped shining for so many people. All over the United States, and throughout the world, an incredible number of people have built lives for themselves which are now slipping away. Employers are doing everything possible to eliminate waste. Where does this leave you? First, you need to be ready for change. You simply cannot expect that your job will go on like it has forever. The idea that the steel industry in America could go from one of its best quarters ever, to one of its worst almost overnight, sends an incredible message: nothing is secure. My grandmother lived through the Great Depression and after this she lived her life in an incredibly frugal way. While this extreme may not be necessary, it is important to understand you need to be ready for change and should have a rainy day fund. If you do not have one now, start creating one. You should also be prepared for change. This means being aware of other potential jobs you could have and knowing what is going on in the market – one of the most important things anyone can do. While I am the Chief Executive Officer of EmploymentCrossing and am biased, I can assure you using a site like this is an incredibly intelligent and very good use of your time. A site like this is no different than checking the stock market to check your worth and the worth of your stocks. You need to be watching the market because the market is your job security. In a good market, you are fine, and with a poor market, you need to be prepared for change. Do not spend your life guarding against change. It will do you no good. You need to be proactive with your life and your career. If you find you are protecting yourself and guarding yourself in your existing career, this is not a good sign. Generally, this means you feel you may not be providing value commensurate with what you are paid. If this is the case, you need to step up and provide more value, or find somewhere you can provide value that matches your contribution. THE LESSON Since the sun does not always shine forever, you must take a pragmatic approach towards your life and career; remember that good fortunes are never permanent. Do not take your job for granted, but instead watch the market and be aware of other potential jobs. Rather than guard against change, be prepared for it.