I have written before about Chutzpah (see for Joys of Yiddish full explanation). The phrase is used to describe a specific type of person. Audacity would be the closest english equivalent word.

Many years ago I was interviewing for a job in a very interesting group. I had heard of the leader of this group, but didn’t really know him personally. When he called me for an interview I was very happy to come in and chat.

The interview seemed a little stunted in the discussion. It was mostly this person pontificating about his views on how technology was going to go in the future, but having been to many interviews I didn’t think much of it. I asked a few questions to keep my interviewer going. My opinion is the more an interviewer talks, the better the interview seems to go. I asked open-ended questions as follow ups to his statements, and time seemed to fly by, with me saying very little (of substance).

There was a pause, so I felt obliged to throw in another open-ended question to my interviewer. I asked, “What kind of person are you looking for to fill this job?”.

Ask “The” Question

This is an excellent time-wasting question for an interview. Most interviewers don’t really have a clear answer for that question. If they are very confident like this chap, the answer can take up to 10 minutes. All you do as a candidate is point out how you are that exact person (a trick I learned long ago).

Sure enough this interviewer ran on and on about someone who could create symbiotic technology concepts, and show an ability to create a fused capability delivered cross-domain in the pike position,etc., etc., etc.,. I noted the catch phrases being used. I was formulating my follow-up to this statement when the interviewer completely de-railed me with a statement.

Don’t get “The” Answer

It started off with the phrase, “If I could sum up what I am looking for in a candidate for the team, I’d have to use a word I learned a while ago, it’s a Jewish word…”. I fought the urge to point out that it would either have been Hebrew or Yiddish. I figured that as long as he didn’t say “Schmuck“, I was ok, but what he did say was entertaining.

“The word that describes it best is someone with CHOO-TS-PUH…”, (I spelled the word phonetically so you could get the gist of this story). Now the word chutzpah is pronounced HH-oo-tzpa (along those lines at least), and the CH is most definitely not pronounced as CH. I must have had a bewildered look (it was actually the look I have when I am attempting to not burst into laughter), because the interviewer proceeded to give me an explanation of chutzpah (a relatively correct one).

I sat there using all of my inner strength attempting to:

1. Not correct this individual on pronunciation, because he seemed positive that he was correct.
2. Not burst out laughing at the mis-step (very bad form for a job interview)
3. Figure out whether I really wanted this job.

There was a long pause at the end of the interviewers ramble and I felt he was expecting me to respond, so I carefully responded how I fit the bill of this kind of person without actually saying the word out loud, for fear of offending this individual. After summing up, the interviewer then had to recap by saying, “So you think you have this CHOO-TS-PUH, do you?”, again, I fought hard to not burst out laughing.

Am I That Guy

My only way to respond was, “Yes, I think I am that guy.”.

I didn’t get the job, but I did get an interesting anecdotal story that I tell sometimes.

For those who didn’t notice, I am on the Debt Free in 30 Podcast with Doug Hoyes this past weekend. We discussed my Job Search at Age 47 (if you check on the menu Job Search is now a new item). It was a great deal of fun chatting with Doug, who has a book out as well (Straight Talk on Your Money, Amazon link).  I actually learned a great deal chatting with Doug (off mic) so for me it was a fun experience. Doug’s understanding of the Bankruptcy laws puts him in a very unique position. Rumor has it I may be on again some time soon.

As usual I don’t stay on topic, and I answer the important question, why am I not a Media Whore? OK, Doug didn’t answer that question exactly, but I do give an answer to that question.

That is the second Podcast I have done, I was one of the first guests on Preet B’s money podcast, Mostly Money (episode 4). It is always fun to chat with folks about money, especially folks who know the topic well. Best line of the day, “We are all 3 pay cheques from living on the streets“, and Doug saying, “Less than that!”.

Are there other Good Money Podcasts that I listen to? Plenty, my biggest problem is finding time to listen to them all. I listen typically in my car, but also if I take the bus to work as well (when I am not listening to Audiobooks).

• Dan Bartoloti (friend of this site) has an investing podcast the Canadian Couch Potato which has a lot of great investing advice. Dan’s web site is also great, surprisingly called the Canadian Couch Potato as well.
• The Dave Ramsey Podcast is a good across the board type of money podcast. I must admit I don’t listen to every one, but I have listened to a few of his episodes.
• The More Money for Beer podcast was great, but it seems to have gone into media limbo, but the last one was a chat with Robert Browne (always entertaining).

There are many others, if you want to leave a comment with other Money Podcasts, I will check them out. Doug’s book is also available as an Audiobook (as most folks know who send me books, I am not a big reader).

Other Sitings Likely ?

Will I be on other podcasts and such? I am always available to flap my gums about most topics, and available for Bar Mitzvahs, Weddings and Family Reunions (try the veal, it’s to die for).

Job Hunting: Your Social Media is Your New Reference, the personal reference for a job is a key part of the hiring process. Many applications now ask for your Social Media “handles” for this very reason. Hint: if you give one handle, they have all of your handles, even your secret ones.

Bad Reference

More than once, when I have been involved in hiring someone, I have checked the persons references, only to find out that the reference:

• Doesn’t know the person used them as a reference, and thus doesn’t really have much to say about them.
• Doesn’t know the person used them as a reference, is annoyed and thus gives a bad reference
• The person doesn’t even remember the person

The importance of a solid personal and job reference is the cornerstone of any job application. What is now supplanting the reference as the major impediment for folks who are qualified getting hired, is your Social Media Page(s).

Social Networks ?

If you enjoy Social Networking sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram or whatever, remember that whatever you put there, future employers are going to see it as well. Many folks think that if you set the privacy capabilities of these sites to a strong setting, outside folks are not going to see it, but I can assure you that anything you put on a Social Media site will be visible to folks who want to see it. I’ll say it again, Facebook Page is Your New Reference !

What kind of silliness have I heard of causing folks to not get a job?

• Having a Twitter account and “bad mouthing” former employers (or current employers), on the site. If I am going to hire you and I see that, my first thought is, “What are they going to say about our company?”.
• Pictures of you at a party “having a good time”. As a future employer, do I start to wonder whether you are a reliable employee, or a party animal?
• Other pictures : When did posting pictures of yourself in your underwear or less, become normal? An employer sees that and says (out loud), “Indiscrete employees, if they post this, why should I trust them to keep any company secrets”. Remember if you are “tagged” in a Facebook picture, even if it is not yours, you are in trouble.

These are just a couple of the interesting ways you can thwart your job applications.

What do I do ?

How do I find out what others can find out about me?

• Google your name and see what others can see (without even looking very hard).
• Comb through your social media sites and see what is there (and look with a future employers point of view)

If you have some bad stuff out there, get rid of it as best you can. If you are lucky they don’t know about Internet Archives and are lazy.

Remember, Social Media is Your New Reference.

I was reading an article in CNN which was saying the worst place in the U.S. to lose your job (currently) is the state of Florida, which I guess I can understand, but at the end of it all, is there a good place to lose your job?

There are scenarios that could arise (I suppose) where if you lost your job (due to lay off, I am assuming, not due to you quitting or some other reason) it would not be that painful, but if you are actually getting laid off in Canada, where you live may be the worst place to be.

When I got laid off, it was part of a huge high-tech wipe out, and in Ottawa, at the time the major employers were the High Tech companies (and the government). A sudden huge influx of laid off folks will usually flood most job markets, and make finding a job that much harder, so why would you try to measure where is the worst place to be laid off? It is going to be hard to find a job (if your lay off is due to a market down turn, for example).

This has been seen over and over in Canada, where smaller towns and cities have relied on a specific employer and when that employer down sizes (or worse pulls up stakes and goes, or simply goes under), that City is devastated by the job losses. I suppose in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, there is a large enough base of companies that one firm suddenly throwing workers into the job searching market may not be quite as bad, as say in Ottawa, but that may not be the case either. Lay offs rarely happen in a booming economy, or even a healthy economy, so if layoffs are happening it is happening on a large-scale (i.e. one company coughs and the entire industry gets a cold).

If you get laid off, you need to know where you might have to look for a job (geographically), but where you live may not be the only problem that you have. Is your area of expertise hiring (locally or elsewhere) that is much more important, because if you just got laid off and your area of expertise is no longer relevant, then you will have issues.