In the final season’s second episode to Masterpiece’s award-winning Downton Abbey, under-butler Thomas Barrow, convinced he will be one of the first of the staff to be let go because of rumored staff reductions at the Abbey, goes on an interview for an assistant butler job. While viewers are not presented with the entire interview, there’s enough portrayed to draw some important lessons for job seekers. Related: Job Seekers: Prepare For Bad Interview Questions Thomas’s attitude toward the interview is obvious before it begins. When a fellow member of the “downstairs staff” wishes him good luck before his interview he responds: “If I was lucky, I wouldn’t be leaving.” While the interview segment portrayed is short, it contains some interesting dialogue. Responding to a question as to why he’s leaving Downton Abbey, his response is short: “It seems like the right time for a move.” He then asks, in a slightly condescending tone, “Tell me Mr. Moore, what exactly is an assistant butler. I’m not familiar with the term.” When told the job combines the duties of an under-butler, a footman, and a chauffeur, Thomas is told that “I think you need to climb off that high horse,” and he responds with “Goodness, this is a job for a one-man band.” His response, including the non-verbal tone, prompts Mr. Moore to respond with “You’re a delicate lookin’ fellow aren’t you?” After what today would be considered an illegal question about whether or not Thomas is married (he isn’t), Mr. Moore ends the interview with “All right Mr. Barrow, I’ve got enough. We’ll let you know.” Again the non-verbal tone and look tell the story that he’s being dismissed. Even in this short segment, there are four classical and powerful messages, on attitude and preparation. Thomas Barrow is unhappy about his potential dismissal from the Abbey. He transfers that to a decision to be clearly unhappy about looking for a new job. The first message is a positive note. Thomas, thinking he’s going to be dismissed, immediately starts looking for a new job. We see him studying the ads in a newspaper. A timeless message for sure. We know that the best time to be looking for a new job is while you still have one. At least, Thomas faces that reality. The second point is also a reality that’s timeless. People lose jobs frequently for reasons unrelated to their performance. Today we talk about how technology is eliminating jobs, how online shopping is closing retails stores and eliminating 1000’s of jobs. So in 1925, Thomas Barrow is facing the potential loss of his job caused by changing social, cultural, and economic factors. History repeats itself. Thomas’s first problem is one common with some job seekers today. Attitude is key, and a hiring manager will read a poor attitude within seconds, and it will influence the entire interview. This was beautifully portrayed in just a few minutes on Downton Abbey. You can see from Thomas’s non-verbals and responses that he is not looking at this interview positively. Kelli Barrett is a Broadway actor who’s written some wonderful articles aimed at actors but perfectly on target for all job seekers. In one of the best, she argues that actors must “love the audition” even if it's the most frustrating, time-consuming process that results in an overwhelming majority of rejections. If actors need to “love the audition,” job seekers need to “love the interview.” Thomas needs to “love” that interview even as he’s upset by the possible situation he’s facing. Thomas Barrow is easy to dislike as a character on Downton Abbey. Faced with a hiring decision – with a thorough job of interviewing him and checking his background, few would hire him. However, Thomas Barrow does have some significant accomplishments in his previous five years at the Abbey. But he’s unprepared and unwilling to present these during his interview. And that’s the second lesson from this incident. Unprepared, he fumbles with his answers and instead becomes aggressive toward his potential new boss. With the first question, why is he leaving the Abbey, he avoids the opportunity to present an answer related to his accomplishments and provides an almost sullen “seems like the right time” response. Then when given a golden opportunity to present his wide-ranging talents and accomplishments, his response to the expectations of the new job is the very negative “one-man band” comment. A final, very important point. Thomas Barrow shows absolutely no curiosity about jobs other than his challenge to the title – and no genuine curiosity about the challenges being faced by his potential boss. His interviewer lays out the need for changes, providing Barrow with a great opportunity to not only show his interest in the position but his willingness to meet the new challenges. Attitude, preparation, and accomplishments – three critical elements of anyone’s, anytime, success in a job search. Portrayed beautifully here in a segment from Downton Abbey.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.