The Job Seekers Trap! No Application Sabotage

Read & interpret employment advertisements critically, recognize bad employers, handle lies & manipulation techniques in interviews

Simone Janson, Simone Janson

• Publisher: Best of HR – Berufebilder.de®
• Year: 2024
• ISBN:
  9783965964532
• Edition: 5
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

With the 5th revised and improved edition, published by a state funded publisher involved in EU programs and a partner of the Federal Ministry of Education, you receive the concentrated expertise of renowned authors (overview in the book preview) and extensive add-ons as well as individual consulting. At the same time, you do good and support sustainable projects. Because job seekers must overcome many pitfalls in the application process. A new job is often associated with a lot of risk and great uncertainty for even employees: They have to terminate their previous employment contract and perhaps even move, get used to new tasks and new colleagues. That's why it's important for applicants to find out, at the latest during the job interview, whether the high personal effort is really worth it. But people like to lie and manipulate in order to convince good specialists. How can bad employers be recognized during the application process? Do the applicant and his demands really fit into the new team? Will the expectations raised by employer branding be fulfilled? This book clarifies these and many other questions and helps job seekers avoid falling into traps during the job search that could have serious consequences. Good luck and have fun reading. For its concept "Information as Desired, " the publisher was not only involved in an EU-funded program but also received the Global Business Award as Publisher of the Year. Therefore, by purchasing this book, you are also doing good: The publisher is financially and personally committed to socially relevant projects such as tree planting actions, scholarship foundations, sustainable housing, and many other innovative ideas. The goal of providing you with the best possible content on topics such as career, finance, management, recruiting, or psychology goes far beyond the static nature of traditional books: The interactive book not only provides you with expert knowledge but also allows you to ask individual questions and receive personal advice. In addition, each book contains detailed explanations and application examples to help you make the most of the free consulting services available to book buyers. You can also download e-courses, work with workbooks, or engage with an active community. This way, you receive valuable resources that increase your knowledge, stimulate creativity, make your personal and professional goals achievable, and make successes tangible. And more: We want to give you the opportunity to make your journey to personal growth and success even more unforgettable. Because we know that true change does not only take place in the mind but above all through personal experience and application. That is why we have created special success experiences to complement each book. Expertise and technical innovation go hand in hand, as we take the responsibility of delivering well-founded and well-researched content and the trust you place in us very seriously. Therefore, all texts are written by experts in their field. We only use AI-supported data analysis to better find information that supports your search for knowledge. Publisher and editor Simone Janson is also a bestselling author and one of the 10 most important German bloggers according to the Blogger Relevance Index. She has also been a columnist and author for renowned media such as WELT, Wirtschaftswoche, or ZEIT - more about her can be found on Wikipedia.

Onboarding and familiarization with success: 3 X company vs. Employee view [+ checklists]
// By Helga Brüggemann

Onboarding participants encounter the conditions such as team membership and performance, which must be balanced in a company. How can this be done?

Onboarding processes: Which conditions apply

Those who take due account of these conditions in onboarding, e.g. give and take, affiliation, timing, commitment, performance and ability, can develop a seismograph for disruption prevention. Because most people have a feeling for when systems get out of balance. With closer inspection, this feeling can be analyzed and put into words.

Knowing how the rabbit runs in this company is one thing; another is the willingness to conform to the principles. During the induction period, there was a first approximation. Both sides have come into close contact. Limits of what is appropriate and what is not in working together have been gradually set out. The risk that rules due to ignorance will not be adhered to will decrease over time. In most cases, the training period could also be used successfully on the content level. In the rarest of cases, a new employee is technically unsuitable.

Disruptions in the familiarization phase mostly on an interpersonal level

However, disruptions in the familiarization period occur in most cases on an interpersonal level. In particular, the relationship with the direct supervisor is crucial for successful integration. The manager is an important regulatory. As a rule, he notices at an early stage if there is a need for adjustment, and he is authorized to give feedback and, if necessary, instructions. If the chemistry is right, the chance of a successful onboarding process is great.

If it is not correct, less trusting discussions take place. If the new employee does not discuss his impressions and there is no feedback, he runs the risk of not meeting expectations. Ideally, the newcomer receives regular feedback based on observed behavior or requests it. If company rules are not observed, there is a risk of exclusion if the correction is not made. According to Holger Kleve, people can only coordinate as biological and psychological units through the routine of a regular consultation. It is not possible for them to relate to one another in a direct way. People cannot transfer thoughts between themselves, cannot cognitively link from consciousness to consciousness.

Balancing act between adaptation and action

The balancing act between adaptation and active role design remains even after the trial period. The exact nature of this pendulum movement depends on the personalities and their opportunities for good relationship building, which come together in the onboarding process, as the case studies below show. Again and again it has to be explored how your own expertise and the distant outside view can be added without adding to the system.

The regular comparison of self-image and external image helps to avoid inappropriate behavior. Regular discussions in a trusting atmosphere, in which both sides make their perception available, are an indicator of good work ability. In this way, the basis for a trusting collaboration is laid in the first weeks of the collaboration. That gives both sides security. There is room to tackle the next level of integration.

Example 1: Positioning from a company perspective

The trial period is over and the new employee appears to have proven successful. An employee survey showed above-average results. The superior's judgment is good. It also seems to be well integrated, based on what is observable: it makes appointments with different people at the table, follows invitations to information events, and was also present at the summer party and Christmas party after the official part.

Checklist: Lack of visibility in the new job

She gladly accepted the invitation to participate in a mentoring program. The integration of the employee seems to be on the right track. The question arises as to how the bond with the company can be further expanded. In the first assessment, the employee received a very good professional rating. The development field was defined to be known beyond the boundaries within which she works. The question arises as to what possibilities there are on the company side to make their skills more visible to third parties, to offer their stages.

The newcomer does not appear enough yet. It is socialized by a large, family-run group in which elegant restraint was an important part of the corporate culture. It is therefore too withdrawn in the internal public. This becomes clear when answering questions about visibility in the organization, such as:

• What role does it play in groups in which representatives of other departments are also present?
• What part does it take on when delegations are visiting or customer forums are held?
• How does she behave in meetings in the presence of her boss and her boss?
• How is the interaction with the supervisor?
• Is it perceived in meetings in their presence?
• What is hierarchy in general like?

How can new employees increase their visibility in the company?

The conclusion of this current position determination in this case is: The newcomer is doing a good job, but is too reluctant to interact with others, especially when dealing with the internal and external public. It can only be promoted if it becomes visible and thus part of the social reality of the organization. Those who are not noticed by other people simply do not exist.

In order to be considered for interesting special projects and to be asked when it comes to representing the company to the outside world or giving a lecture at conferences, the new manager must ensure that they are visible. A mentorship is an institutionalized help on the part of the company to give it impulses in this direction. The newcomer is also expected to actively engage in conversation. It has to show its own handwriting and generate positive feedback. It depends on whether and how quickly career planning will follow the on-boarding process for this manager.

Example 2: Positioning from the perspective of the new employee

How is the situation from the perspective of the newcomer? She now knows what makes the system tick. They can assess what is expected of them and how much scope they have for action. She would like to explore this further and successfully advance projects. She wants to live her potential. To what extent this is already the case, she can see from the frequency, how often her skills match the requirements to such an extent that time flies and a feeling of exhilaration arises after the work is done.

Flow state: the ideal after changing jobs

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi announced this optimal situation as the flow state. A visualization of the current work situation shows the degree of fit: A classification on the y-axis, which defines the level of requirements, and on the x-axis, which defines the necessary level of competence, shows the current position of the new employee at a glance: Is the classification in right upper quadrant, the current positioning is ideal

The manager could be satisfied with this fit. She brings with her exactly the skills that are needed in this position to advance the company. In terms of content, it has all the prerequisites for good performance. As an expert, she keeps up to date, has political skills and a good feel for collegial leadership. This individual fit alone is not a guarantee of sustainable success in a social system. The manager still lacks an informal network of relationships, as they had built up with their previous employer.

Checklist: Create a safety net through mentoring

How many times, after years of service, had she always come to a point where she didn't know what to do. The strategic realignment, the competitive environment, the prioritization of projects, all of this was constantly in flux. At that time, she only had to pick up the phone and quickly get advice informally. The new manager cannot yet have this safety net after having been with the company for such a short time. The company therefore offered her a mentoring program as support.

A manager from another department, two hierarchical levels above her, became her sparring partner. The exchange with her was very helpful in classifying what to do, but also what to refrain from doing. Her mentor advised her to network more informally. There were questions about how to do this:

• Is there a corporate network that she could enter?
• Are there internal company events that are carried out across departments?
• For which overarching projects could she throw her hat in the ring to think outside the box and make contacts?

What is not communicated does not exist socially

Another point that came up again and again was her role, which she played primarily. In exchange with the mentor, she realized that she had many more options than she used. It took an impetus from outside to consciously leave the role of an expert again and again and to take on the driving role that others perceive. She needed a stage. Fritz Simon compares the exposed role, which is visible to everyone, with that of an artist, the role of the expert working in the background with a housewife. Artists on stage are noticed when they do something. They get positive feedback when they play.

"Housewife activities" stand out if they are not done. You will receive negative feedback. Those who are aware of this distinction may consider whether to take advantage of an offer to show themselves or whether they prefer to keep it covered. Especially in official situations where visibility was greatest due to the presence of hierarchy, the employee seized as many opportunities as possible after reflecting on her visibility in the company. She deliberately took the lead. Their skill was visible in the organizati...

Table of contents

• Imprint
• Introduction: How this book supports you
• Graduates looking for a job in vain: Do not give up! // By Simone Janson
• Feelgood-Management and Employer Branding: The cuddly companies // By Simone Janson
• Find a job with an employee recommendation: Vitamin B when applying // By Simone Janson
• Assessment Center succeed: 5 tips for the application marathon // By Johannes Stärk
• Job search and application for idealists and difficult cases: 5 tips for finding a job // By Simone Janson
• Nasty questions in job interview and job interview: 5 tips for perfect applicant storytelling // By Ute Blindert
• Application Failures: 5 No-Go's for Job Search // By Dr. Job
• Interview and job interview: 5 tips for perfect preparation [+ checklist] // By Dr. Job
• Paperless Application: Social Media and Apps as an Alternative? // By Lene Setzer
• Onboarding and familiarization with success: 3 X company vs. Employee view [+ checklists] // By Helga Brüggemann
• Communicate & negotiate downshifting properly: Boss, I'm too stressed! // By Simone Janson
• Assessment center for applications and job searches: method put to the test // By Simone Janson
• Closing Remarks
• Authors Overview
• About the publisher Best of HR - Berufebilder.de®
• Notes on translation