THE OCCASIONAL MENTOR
I am rebranding my monthly column, The Occasional Mentor, based on questions I’ve answered on Quora, heard on Slack groups, and other career advice I’ve given over the prior month. Hope you like it, but feel free to challenge me in the comments, if you have a different experience. Below are questions I answered in May.
May 2018
On Startup Founders taking on a part time gig to make ends meet…
If you model your job search as a consultancy rather than man for hire, you can drop the resume and just use a portfolio. Limit the work in your portfolio to only the kind of projects that will get you the role you are seeking. If they do ask for a resume, I will usually include my startup in my consulting description as one of many ongoing projects.
Be realistic about how much time you are able to devote to a part time gig. Consulting clients are usually aware that you have other clients. As long as they know when they can count on you to be available, they will be happy.
On why companies won’t give interview feedback when you don’t get the job…
The same reason that during employment checks, companies will only confirm or deny you ever worked for them, and nothing more. They don’t want to put themselves in a potentially prosecutable situation.
Don’t be surprised if they don’t respond at all. It can sometimes take a while to complete a round of interviews. You may not actually receive a rejection notice. But don’t let too much time pass without hearing a word. At the end of the interview you’ve probably asked what the next steps are. Be sure to at least send a very brief thank you the evening after the interview or by the next morning. Include any additional information you want to highlight and reiterate your understanding of when you will hear from them. Follow up again within a day or so of the “next steps” date, if you haven’t already heard an answer.
If you do get rejected, ask if they would be available to discuss how you could improve your position for future openings. And if they say no, thank them for their time and move on.