Transitions

Posted by on May 21, 2013 No comments

You may be thinking of transitioning to another field:  From one job to another, to a different function, organization, or industry, from the military to the civilian sector or even from unemployment to a new job.  Here are some key transition steps you should consider:

  • Drop the jargon that may tag you as a newbie.  It’s the quickest way to signal that you are not experienced in that field. Learn the jargon of the organization your interested in joining.  Every industry has its own language.  Find out what it is.  The most difficult change is from the military to civilian sector so work especially hard to eliminate the buzzwords.
  • Learn all about the issues of the new organization:  Competitors, revenue and cost issues, shifting marketplace, and customer expectations. The more you know the better prepared.
  • Different organizations have personalities all their own.  Make sure yours is compatible.  Are you moving from a more formal to an informal style?  Are the keys to the business efficiency?  Cost reduction?  Accelerated growth?  Acquisitions?  How/where do you fit?
  • What’s the unstated dress code?  In the military, a uniform tells you a great deal about a person’s experiences. A suit does not.  Ask your potential boss about unspoken practices.
  • Some organizations are fairly clear about policy, practices or rules.  Others may be nuanced and indirect.  Find a role model who has made a successful transition and follow their path.  Eliminate as many errors beforehand by understanding the culture.
  • See if you can find out what the differences are between what is said and what’s done.  Are there promises made but not kept.  This is especially important if your future is dependent upon promises made to you.  Will they put them in writing?  If not, be careful.
  • What’s the working environment and tone within the department?  Competition between workers?  Team orientation?  Is there favoritism?  Is the boss the problem?
  • How are decisions made and communicated?  Are there group discussions before a decision is made? Are decisions quick or prolonged?  Are decisions communicated thoroughly so you know your role and expectations?
  • How political is the organization?  Internal promotions?  The organization can be political (who you know), or more neutral (what you know) or apolitical (what are your results).

What to do during the transition?

  1. Operationally translate your past skills and experiences to the new job
  2. Transfer those skills, develop others and show a willingness to learn new skills
  3. Look for the lowest and highest performers.  Figure out the differences between the two. That’s your window of opportunity.  The higher standard becomes your goal.
  4. Focus on definitive transition steps, behavior, attitude changes, flexibility and adaptability.  What do you have to do to become a raising star?
  5. Research the industry. Understand the short and long term strategies of the organization.
  6. Create your own 6-month strategy with your boss.  Add benchmarks each month.  What do you need to learn, prepare, experience, and accomplish?  Define your expectations!

Your assets are unique and in demand.  Identify and market them to your advantage.

We want to hear from you!  Send comments and questions to:  mygreenerfuture1@cox.net

For information about personal coaching, send your resume

Talk Less, Listen Skillfully and Learn More

Posted by on May 14, 2013 No comments

A mentor, some years ago, gave me two pieces of sage advice.  First, you can’t learn a lot when you’re talking, only reiterate what you already know.  You learn by listening, reading or experiencing.  Second, questions that are well formed and placed will give you the most insightful and valuable information.  It’s what others can share with you that provide the bridge to learning.

Some people are great talkers.  Others can be terrific listeners.  A few can do both well and some who can do neither.  Make an assessment of your strengths and weaknesses by asking friends to rate your skills with each.  The key to being successful during an interview is to balance the two, while knowing when to do one or the other.

A few of the important factors to consider when interviewing:

  • How much time do you have in the interview?  Few people ask, but you need to make sure you have adequate time to ask your important questions.
  • What’s the ratio of getting information or giving information?  The more you give, the less time to receive important information.  The reverse is also true.  Identify what the balance should be and make sure both factors are covered.
  • People who know you well should be able to rate your balance of talking versus listening.  Do you dominate conversations?  How well do you respond to questions?  Do you ask intelligent, well-formed and placed questions?
  • The interviewer will know more about you through your resume than you know about the organization or the actual position to be filled.  You should be able to balance that disadvantage by your research prior to the interview.  Your knowledge of the company’s history, competition, products, strategies and their financial reports should give you excellent insights to respond to interview questions.

Your objective at the end of an interview:  You want them to want you.  How do you achieve that objective?  Convey that you achieved a similar result in another organization and can translate that success here.  That only works if you can identify the issues.  You can only do that by asking the right questions.  You’re a non-candidate unless you can get answers to well constructed questions.

Practice asking the well formed and placed question.  Knowledge is power.  You can only gain that knowledge through others.  You can’t learn by talking.

We want to hear from you!  Send comments and questions to:  mygreenerfuture1@cox.net

For information about personal coaching, send your resume.

 

Spot A Bad Boss Before the Fact

Posted by on May 7, 2013 6 comments

What kind of boss do you want?  What kind of boss will you get?  A boss’s history is prologue to the future. Will the communications with your new boss be open or closed?  You need to find out!  If you can’t ask these kinds of questions, is this the kind of organization you really want to work? You need insightful answers.

Questions to HR or the recruiter -  Are there individualized development programs?  Are there opportunities to coach rising stars in the firm? Does the company pay for high performance or is there a limited range of pay?  How political is the organization?  What’s the turnover rate in this department?  [If HR or the recruiter doesn’t answer these kinds of questions directly, be more probing.  Don’t’ they know or don’t they want to answer?]

Questions to peers or the boss’ direct reports (if you can’t meet with them, why not?) – Do you personally have a development plan?  Have you been able to expand your skills and responsibilities?  How much coaching have you received?  Do you work as an integrated team or as individual contributors?  What kind of boss is Mr/Ms X? [If no one volunteers to answer, be concerned.  If you’re given wishy-washy responses, try to find out why.  If they appear to be scared little rabbits, run away.]

Questions to the hiring manager (your future boss) – How many of your people have been promoted in the past 5 years?  Have any been let go based on performance?  Is high performance rewarded?  How?  What results will you be looking for me to achieve in the first 180 days? Does the company develop their talent internally, or continually hire from the outside?  What in my background can be put to use immediately? [The degree of openness will be an indicator of future communications with the boss.]

What kind of boss do you need? Identify the type of boss you need to be successful.  Examples of bosses:  1- I’ll leave you alone once objectives are defined.  2- I’ll supervise you very closely at each and every step.  3- I’ll only review your work at critical points.  4- Contact me through my secretary only if you have a problem.  5- Successes are mine. Failures will be yours.  6- I’ll always be available to you, whenever you need my support.  [Which answer fits you?]

Of course all questions must be modified to best fit the company and situation.  Make sure you’re a good fit in the new company.  If not, you’ll be the loser.

We want to hear from you!  Send comments and questions to:  mygreenerfuture1@cox.net

For information about personal coaching, send your resume.  I have an opening.

Great Questions to Ask

Posted by on April 30, 2013 No comments

When you’re asked, “Do you have any questions for me?” now is the time to impress and influence the hiring manager.  You can become a top candidate by asking the right questions.  Your objective is to demonstrate industry knowledge, astute business insights and an orientation for results.

Here are 7 excellent questions that will move you up the ranking list.

  1. “What part of my resume was of special interest to you?” This question focuses on why the hiring manager wanted to talk to you. Your resume shows the results the hiring manager wants, but which one?  Once answered, you can tilt your future discussions.
  2. “If I’m hired, how can I add value to your results in the first 120 days?” This question shows a “can-do” attitude, to make a difference sooner versus later, and a desire to perform in line with the manager’s objectives.  An excellent positive impression.
  3. “What are your expectations for top performers?” Shows that you want to be a top performer and understand the expectations.  It will be different for each organization and specific to the job to be filled.  Great candidates want to be a top performer.
  4. “How can results within your department be driven to a higher level?” The answer will give you insights few others know. Translate your potential contribution to the issue of the hiring manager. Great candidates want to know how to make a difference.
  5. “Your industry seems to be (Accelerating?  Competitive?  Price sensitive? Moving globally?  Other?).  What are the strategies to continue industry leadership?” You’re showing your broader business acumen.  Maybe your skills sets can help.  Show some knowledge about what’s going on in the industry to impress the interviewer.
  6. “How can this open position contribute to improved performance?” Every job is important and expected to add-value.  How key is this function?  Can you add more than others?  The answer to this question can open up a discussion about your contributions.
  7. “My process improvement skills (or another asset) have helped to enhance performance in my current job.  Are you open to new approaches?” The hiring manager can’t say “no” to this question.  The answer, however, may be in the form of a question to you, like, “What do you have in mind?” or “What have you done in your current job that can be applied here?”  This is an opening for you to really impress the manager, if you’re ready!

However, when responding to a “how” question give alternatives only.  The hiring manager is always looking for potential solutions, but don’t be presumptuous to think you have the only answer.

We want to hear from you!  Send comments and questions to:  mygreenerfuture1@cox.net

 

 

 

Seduce the Computer Scans

Posted by on April 23, 2013 Comments Off

Will a computer decide your future?  You don’t want a machine to determine whether you get an interview or not.  You need to understand screening-by-computer and what to do about it.

Applying to larger companies increases the chance that a computer will initially scan your resume.  You need to understand how the computer works so that a live human being will be sure to review your resume next.  Computers can be seduced if you know how.

Computers are programmed to look for key words that parallel the key words in a position description.  If you use similar words, but not the same words, the computer may not understand the difference and toss your resume out.  You could be the best applicant of all and not get the chance to interview.  For example, if the company is looking for a set designer for model homes, words like stage modeling, lifestyle arrangements, or décor fashion specialist may not work.  It all depends upon who programs the computer and their understanding of the different variations of potential words.  Here are some tips and rationale:

  1. Use the exact words from the position description to your resume.  If the company is looking for a civil engineer, using the word engineer may not cut it.
  2. Usually there are 5 to 10 key words or phrases that describe the critical requirements the hiring company is looking for in a candidate.  They usually revolve around:  Job Title, schools attended, degrees obtained, certifications, professional skills, job experiences, technical terms, industry or functional buzzwords, company names, computer programs or applications, and so on.
  3. Once you have these key words, make sure they are on the first page of your resume, or better yet on the top half of the first page.  It will be noticed quicker and ranked higher.
  4. The critical key words should be repeated further down the resume.  Multiple uses of key words increases the likelihood of a fit, especially in past jobs.  Algorithms like repetition.
  5. Nouns are more useful than verbs.  Words like energized, talented, accomplished, and so on are meaningless.  Words that are job specific are critical as they match the descriptors.
  6. If a cover letter is requested or required, focus like a laser beam on the key job skills and results that are most likely to get attention.  Personalizing a cover letter or hoping to charm a human reader won’t work with a machine.

Outsmarting a computer is easy, once you know the tricks.  However, to succeed with an interview takes a job background with results that match the open position.  If you don’t have the background you’ll have wasted everyone’s time and your own credibility.

We want to hear from you!  Send comments and questions to:  mygreenerfuture1@cox.net

For information about personal coaching, send your resume.  I have one opening.