Today is my birthday. I wanted to make sure that these two WSJ pieces made it on:
First, and I cannot stress this enough, attitude is perhaps most important when you are looking for a job or starting a career right now. This article on being the "go-getter" makes the point perfectly. If you are passionate about your opportunities, make sure you translate that for potential employers in a no-job-too-small (or too big), perform-at-all-costs mentality that will encourage them to put you to the top of the list. Nobody has room right now for seat fillers.
Second, I realize that there is a significant push toward personal branding, and there is some merit to it. However, identity is more than just how you can summarize yourself. Alexandra Levitt's "Reinvent" column this week looks at how we present ourselves to employers and contacts from the story perspective. While the article is focused on those going through the process of transforming their careers, newbies can utilize the lessons to frame their background, strengths, and passions into substantive examples of performance that will draw the interests of those on the other side of the interview table (more on this from a personal perspective later this week).
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Be Mindful of "Thank You"
Right now, sending "thank you" messages to those who help you out in the career search process, from interviews and recruiter interaction to networking contacts and advisers, is absolutely critical and essential. Tar Heels in Transit has a nice summary on the subject, including some helpful links to examples.
My strongest advice when it comes to writing "thank you" notes is to use professional, note-oriented stationery. You can easily find letter sheets (such as this example from Crane & Co.) at Hallmark stores, Office Depot, or local outfits like The Baggie Goose in Asheville.
You do not have to spend the extra money to have the stationery (paper or cards) personalized. Instead, buy a nice writing pen that maintains a nice, steady line when you write (don't spend $1/page on the paper and then write with a bargain-level Bic ballpoint). A nice black gel pen, preferably 0.7mm thickness in black or blue (like this one) will work perfectly. If you don't have the right pen, you may have to write back over the lines. It will not look the best, and it will be very frustrating.
Also, make sure to take your time. If your cursive is legible, write this way. Unlike print, it is easier to keep each line level on unlined paper (like note paper and cards) when you write in cursive. If you have to print, make sure it looks professional. Go slow to avoid spelling errors, which are easy to do in cursive. If you make an error, see if you can correct it without making the word look like it was rewritten. If not, finish the letter so you have a draft you can replicate (correctly) on a clean sheet (do not miss any opportunity to practice through once you make an unfixable mistake).
Before all of this, of course, make sure you have the correct names, titles, and addresses for those you are going to send letters to. In the past, I started interviews (on both sides of the table) by asking for names and titles and verifying spelling. If I was the candidate, they could pick up that I was planning to send them a follow-up, and they could tell I was detail-oriented and engaged with their business and process.
My strongest advice when it comes to writing "thank you" notes is to use professional, note-oriented stationery. You can easily find letter sheets (such as this example from Crane & Co.) at Hallmark stores, Office Depot, or local outfits like The Baggie Goose in Asheville.
You do not have to spend the extra money to have the stationery (paper or cards) personalized. Instead, buy a nice writing pen that maintains a nice, steady line when you write (don't spend $1/page on the paper and then write with a bargain-level Bic ballpoint). A nice black gel pen, preferably 0.7mm thickness in black or blue (like this one) will work perfectly. If you don't have the right pen, you may have to write back over the lines. It will not look the best, and it will be very frustrating.
Also, make sure to take your time. If your cursive is legible, write this way. Unlike print, it is easier to keep each line level on unlined paper (like note paper and cards) when you write in cursive. If you have to print, make sure it looks professional. Go slow to avoid spelling errors, which are easy to do in cursive. If you make an error, see if you can correct it without making the word look like it was rewritten. If not, finish the letter so you have a draft you can replicate (correctly) on a clean sheet (do not miss any opportunity to practice through once you make an unfixable mistake).
Before all of this, of course, make sure you have the correct names, titles, and addresses for those you are going to send letters to. In the past, I started interviews (on both sides of the table) by asking for names and titles and verifying spelling. If I was the candidate, they could pick up that I was planning to send them a follow-up, and they could tell I was detail-oriented and engaged with their business and process.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wonderlics, transparency, and lessons from jocks
Thoughts and questions encouraged regarding this post
The most publicized employee screening process is taking place right now before the eyes of the world. Thousands of candidates from as wide a swath of backgrounds as humanly possible are competing for hundreds of positions in a variety of departments.
Some of the most sophisticated testing, both mentally and physically-centered, are being applied, along with relentless background checks and personal interviews. Despite gathering candidates together for a lengthy, centralized assessment, the employer's various divisions are traveling across the country to visit top candidates in the current hometowns for further interviews and evaluation of past and present performance.
In the end, 257 candidates will be automatically selected for probationary employment within 32 divisions of one of the nation's most recognized corporations. No equity will exist between the chosen, or with the incumbent employees they will join. Despite a few protections, all employment in the corporation is realistically at-will.
With the exception of a few call backs or opportunities to make a second impression in the future, the remaining candidates will never have a shot again.
Very few of us can imagine a selection process as arduous as this, except for the one we watch intently on the sidelines every spring: the NFL Draft.
With so few open opportunities for interviews right now, the opportunity to just "learn by doing" when it comes to selling oneself and understanding the processes employers go through to select "rookie" talent is a critical commodity in itself right now. However, when it is not possible to do, sometimes one can learn by what they observe. "The Draft" provides this opportunity, especially when you consider the vast publicly-available resources dedicated to its dissemination.
Think about it. Most cable networks will do a segment with some career counselor or advisor they contact for a few minutes. This does not compare to the number of full-time draft experts that ESPN, Fox, NFL Network, and other groups hire to provide insight and perspective. The media build-up to the Draft is the closest thing that sports has to Presidential election coverage.
As a result, there are plenty of places to see examples, in very obvious ways, of the lessons taught most often by career advisors. For example, simply Google "Andre Smith," and you will see a textbook example of someone who is sacrificing enormous opportunity by not balancing his talent with character and professionalism. Draft sites at NFL.com and elsewhere treat prospective players like commodities, providing "up" and "down" selection updated on an almost daily basis.
Then there's the assessment process. The NFL Combine, where draft prospects are evaluated as a group, might be the most visible example of mass supply talent evaluation available to the public. The multi-day exercise combines physical strength, agility, and endurance tests with personality profiling and tests of intellectual acumen.
The Wonderlic Personnel Test is perhaps the most referenced component of the Combine process. This actual HR assessment tool is utilized to gauge the capacity of draft prospects to process information and decision options quickly and effectively. The scores are not only made available to the teams considering the draftees, but also to the public, giving them a chance to see how these athletic supremacists would compare to the averages of various professions.
As a whole, the process for candidates of the NFL Draft is the best available example of how elite organizations consider and assess available talent. It also provides a view into the passion, commitment, and determination that the young men who seek to be picked must possess, regardless of their relative ability. If you happen to know anyone who is going through this process, sit down with them a little while and ask them what it is like. See what they have learned about appreciating hard work and personal discipline. Both of these qualities of character not only make a prospect excel in the evaluation process, but they reinforce the importance of pursuing passion when faced with the intense workload often found in those things we truly love.
The most publicized employee screening process is taking place right now before the eyes of the world. Thousands of candidates from as wide a swath of backgrounds as humanly possible are competing for hundreds of positions in a variety of departments.
Some of the most sophisticated testing, both mentally and physically-centered, are being applied, along with relentless background checks and personal interviews. Despite gathering candidates together for a lengthy, centralized assessment, the employer's various divisions are traveling across the country to visit top candidates in the current hometowns for further interviews and evaluation of past and present performance.
In the end, 257 candidates will be automatically selected for probationary employment within 32 divisions of one of the nation's most recognized corporations. No equity will exist between the chosen, or with the incumbent employees they will join. Despite a few protections, all employment in the corporation is realistically at-will.
With the exception of a few call backs or opportunities to make a second impression in the future, the remaining candidates will never have a shot again.
Very few of us can imagine a selection process as arduous as this, except for the one we watch intently on the sidelines every spring: the NFL Draft.
With so few open opportunities for interviews right now, the opportunity to just "learn by doing" when it comes to selling oneself and understanding the processes employers go through to select "rookie" talent is a critical commodity in itself right now. However, when it is not possible to do, sometimes one can learn by what they observe. "The Draft" provides this opportunity, especially when you consider the vast publicly-available resources dedicated to its dissemination.
Think about it. Most cable networks will do a segment with some career counselor or advisor they contact for a few minutes. This does not compare to the number of full-time draft experts that ESPN, Fox, NFL Network, and other groups hire to provide insight and perspective. The media build-up to the Draft is the closest thing that sports has to Presidential election coverage.
As a result, there are plenty of places to see examples, in very obvious ways, of the lessons taught most often by career advisors. For example, simply Google "Andre Smith," and you will see a textbook example of someone who is sacrificing enormous opportunity by not balancing his talent with character and professionalism. Draft sites at NFL.com and elsewhere treat prospective players like commodities, providing "up" and "down" selection updated on an almost daily basis.
Then there's the assessment process. The NFL Combine, where draft prospects are evaluated as a group, might be the most visible example of mass supply talent evaluation available to the public. The multi-day exercise combines physical strength, agility, and endurance tests with personality profiling and tests of intellectual acumen.
The Wonderlic Personnel Test is perhaps the most referenced component of the Combine process. This actual HR assessment tool is utilized to gauge the capacity of draft prospects to process information and decision options quickly and effectively. The scores are not only made available to the teams considering the draftees, but also to the public, giving them a chance to see how these athletic supremacists would compare to the averages of various professions.
As a whole, the process for candidates of the NFL Draft is the best available example of how elite organizations consider and assess available talent. It also provides a view into the passion, commitment, and determination that the young men who seek to be picked must possess, regardless of their relative ability. If you happen to know anyone who is going through this process, sit down with them a little while and ask them what it is like. See what they have learned about appreciating hard work and personal discipline. Both of these qualities of character not only make a prospect excel in the evaluation process, but they reinforce the importance of pursuing passion when faced with the intense workload often found in those things we truly love.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
What if I can make the shot?
This may seem very appropriate for the time, seeing that March Madness surrounds us. This past weekend, I witnessed a teamwork demonstration exercise. As someone who has attended and facilitated these types of workshops, I enjoy seeing the creation of new ways to reinforce the same themes of cooperation and collective success at the heart of promoting team mentality.
The exercise started off innocent enough. Students were asked to stand about 10 feet from a large trash can, crumple up pieces of paper, and "shoot" them into the "basket." Naturally, about 3 out of 10 made it in. After about 90 seconds, the facilitator arranged the group into 2 lines and assigned each person in each line a specific task in the original process (crumple paper, shoot, even recover those that miss). His point was with regards to the fact that teamwork coordinates individual efforts, reducing the potential for "missed" opportunities.
This is a relatively understandable demonstration for many applications, including the topic of the workshop (a component of service learning). However, the thought did occur to me with regard to those in the group who actually shot their paper balls into the trash can. The same people made the shots over and over, and while they were not perfect, they were successful.
How would someone feel if they were consistently successful at a series of tasks, or even a task we assume to be simple, only to have it split up in order to make more people feel successful? Perfection may be more attainable, but is the gain in team effectiveness worth the loss of an individual's potential accomplishment?
Circumstances like this are not new to anyone, and we experience them constantly. Sometimes, our desire to encourage participation and offer opportunity to all prevents the best candidates from standing at the front of the group and proving their advanced aptitude. Note that I did not state "superior," as knowing or being able to do more does not mean we are better than anyone else, all things considered.
The problem with the exercise I witnessed is that it teaches the wrong lesson. Teamwork is advantageous, but not when it limits or hinders the capabilities of the individuals that make up the team. In the ultimate team arena of sports, the strengths of team players are not compromised for the sake of one another, but rather maximized by position and responsibility. This is true throughout the professional world, where successful organizations identify and empower employees to focus on their strengths, as well as recognize those of their coworkers in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness while maintaining critical individual senses of belonging.
If the exercise I saw to demonstrate the strength of teamwork is commonplace, in this interpretation, on higher education campuses, then employers have much to be concerned about with the upcoming crops of graduating talent (if jobs are available). For those who have already been through drills like this and may not know what teamwork really is, the question to ask oneself is "do you really think someone is going to hire and pay you not to maximize your strengths and abilities?"
Understanding teamwork may require knowing when to "pass the ball," but it is as just as important to know when you can "make the shot."
The exercise started off innocent enough. Students were asked to stand about 10 feet from a large trash can, crumple up pieces of paper, and "shoot" them into the "basket." Naturally, about 3 out of 10 made it in. After about 90 seconds, the facilitator arranged the group into 2 lines and assigned each person in each line a specific task in the original process (crumple paper, shoot, even recover those that miss). His point was with regards to the fact that teamwork coordinates individual efforts, reducing the potential for "missed" opportunities.
This is a relatively understandable demonstration for many applications, including the topic of the workshop (a component of service learning). However, the thought did occur to me with regard to those in the group who actually shot their paper balls into the trash can. The same people made the shots over and over, and while they were not perfect, they were successful.
How would someone feel if they were consistently successful at a series of tasks, or even a task we assume to be simple, only to have it split up in order to make more people feel successful? Perfection may be more attainable, but is the gain in team effectiveness worth the loss of an individual's potential accomplishment?
Circumstances like this are not new to anyone, and we experience them constantly. Sometimes, our desire to encourage participation and offer opportunity to all prevents the best candidates from standing at the front of the group and proving their advanced aptitude. Note that I did not state "superior," as knowing or being able to do more does not mean we are better than anyone else, all things considered.
The problem with the exercise I witnessed is that it teaches the wrong lesson. Teamwork is advantageous, but not when it limits or hinders the capabilities of the individuals that make up the team. In the ultimate team arena of sports, the strengths of team players are not compromised for the sake of one another, but rather maximized by position and responsibility. This is true throughout the professional world, where successful organizations identify and empower employees to focus on their strengths, as well as recognize those of their coworkers in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness while maintaining critical individual senses of belonging.
If the exercise I saw to demonstrate the strength of teamwork is commonplace, in this interpretation, on higher education campuses, then employers have much to be concerned about with the upcoming crops of graduating talent (if jobs are available). For those who have already been through drills like this and may not know what teamwork really is, the question to ask oneself is "do you really think someone is going to hire and pay you not to maximize your strengths and abilities?"
Understanding teamwork may require knowing when to "pass the ball," but it is as just as important to know when you can "make the shot."
Week of Wisdom Archive
I really enjoyed putting together my five pieces of essential personal and professional advice for the "Week of Wisdom" series. If you are interested in looking at them, click here.
Participate in College Career Center Poll
Do you utilize your campus Career Center? What do you think about it? Careerealism has setup an online poll where you can provide them your opinions. Even if you are out of school, it's not a bad idea to offer your opinion on how this resources impacted your professional pursuits.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Inspiration Article on Entrepreneurship
Michael Moore (not that one) with the John Locke Foundation (see, not that one) provided a great Friday guest piece for John Hood's daily column at Carolina Journal. The piece does have significant religious undertones. The core points that Moore makes about the need for us to praise those willing to take risks and meet the needs of others through our own effort.
I do believe these words have meaning to the corps of graduating seniors facing little light ahead in the current job market. For many, especially those who passions are best fulfilled through smaller and individualized professional pursuits, this could be just what they need to hear.
I do believe these words have meaning to the corps of graduating seniors facing little light ahead in the current job market. For many, especially those who passions are best fulfilled through smaller and individualized professional pursuits, this could be just what they need to hear.
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