A chain of posts through the Net Impact LinkedIn group led me to rant again about the disparity between the innovation that is taught in “better” business schools and the conformity that is foisted-upon new graduates.

Ivy League universities hire distinguished faculty to teach classes in “innovation;” these same professors rally around the need for change to compete in the global marketplace.  Yet as students approach graduation and complete their exams, theses, and dissertations, it seems they are ushered into the back room to have the creativity beaten out of them.  The Biz School back-room “whoopin” leaves new graduates wondering about their considerable investment of time, money, and faith.

Resumes must conform to a specific style to earn a place in the recruitment “book; ” cover letters may as well be automated, and networking is almost incestuous (maybe due to over-reliance on alumni).  I shouldn’t complain, as many students seek the services of experienced career professionals to flesh-out their personal brand and manage their job search campaigns.  (Look for CAN and other career strategists at the Sept. 17th PA Governor’s Conference for Women,  as well as several MBA Career Expos and the November Net Impact Conference.)

The NetImpact group discussion led me to a related post by Matt Madden, a Presidio School of Management student who is writing a book tentatively titled Status Quo Values. The purpose of this project is to explore status quo value systems – economic, political and social values – and discuss the role these values play in our society’s aversion to change.  The goal of the work is to define status quo values, discuss the historical roots of our institutional embrace of status quo values, examine the role our institutions play in promoting these values to individuals and investigate examples of institutions and individuals adhering to alternative value systems.  Sounds like a continuation of the dialog started by Robert Reich in his Fast Company issue, Your Job Is Change.  I’ll be looking for the book, Matt…

I'm very impressed with at least one of the new applications that are in BETA form on LinkedIn.  This one allows users to scroll over the company name listed by your connections or prospective connections – if the company is part of the LinkedIn/Business Week/S&P database, vast amounts of information will be revealed! 

These Company Profiles offer a veritable feast of data that career changers and job seekers need to know and use to prepare their "mini business plan," for example:

• Company headquarters mailing address and contact information
• Link to website
• Common job titles
• Top schools from which employees are recruited
• Median age of employees
• Gender breakdown
• Recent jobs posted on LinkedIn
• NYSE information

From the social media folks at LinkedIn, you'll find a list of employees, new hires, and those recently promoted who are LinkedIn. Useful data that is consolidated and easy to access can be surprisingly hard to find in this Internet-Age.  See this example from Shopzilla

Studs Terkel died in Chicago yesterday at age 96.  He enjoyed a full life to be sure, with the possible loss of an opportunity to cast his ballot for a fellow community organizer, Barack Obama.  Click here to read an excerpt from an October 23rd interview with Studs about Election 2008.

As one whose first "professional" job was with a community-based employment development agency... …with two sons who work to repair the earth, one through higher education and another via social entrepreneurship/BOP…whose family has walked the talk, I join Studs Terkel and Barack Obama in celebrating the value proposition that "community organizers" can bring to the workplace.

Some may scoff or snarl at the idea that "do-gooders" offer value to the traditional world of employment (e.g. Rudolph Guiliani at the Republican National Convention), but with the perspective of an interviewer like Studs Terkel, let's look at what a hiring manager may find:

• Excellent interpersonal skills – listen twice as much as they talk to people who are not often heard
• Needs assessment ability – understand the needs that are underneath the expressed frustrations
• Problem solving/Resourcefulness – able to identify needed resources and people
• Project/Program management – ability to keep a lot of balls in the air, all headed for home-plate
• Sales/Marketing ability -  accountable for outcomes; identify continued and new funding sources
• Communication tools – written, verbal, print, visual, audio, Web 2.0, and in several languages

The service that community organizers perform is as valuable as that offered by our military, our teachers, our police officers and fire-fighters, and by journalists, broadcasters, and interviewers like Studs Terkel, who respectfully chronicled American workers since 1957.

As a career professional and a political aficionado, I've been carrying this post around in my head for quite awhile; time to put these thoughts out-there for your consideration…  I'm intrigued by the lessons we can learn from this election – the "national interview" that the voters and media are conducting with John McCain and Barack Obama. 

If related experience and traditional credentials could win the job, John McCain should be in a better position two weeks prior to Election Day.  Instead it is Obama, with training as a lawyer, and limited and varied experience as a community organizer, teacher, and legislator who is most likely to be offered the job.  How has that
happened?   Why has
someone who lacks compelling experience in the 3 major areas of traditional work
(business/industry, military, government) been able to win the confidence of millions of potential voters?  Why has experience not
sealed the deal?

I think the answer lies outside the box – in the transferable skills and personal qualities that are the elephant in the interview. 

• Too many candidates conduct their job search campaigns in the McCain model: they respond to the explicit requirements of the job, e.g. 25 years in Senate; military service; and a conservative centrist philosophy in-keeping with that of most Americans.  As if faced with a case study or behavioral question, McCain's suspension of his campaign appears to have weakened his presentation in the opinion of the interviewers.  He acted unilaterally, and was unable to gain the support of colleagues during the discussion of the $700 billion bailout plan. While McCain has the credentials and experience most sought-after, he did not demonstrate the requisite transferable skills and personal qualities to handle this economic crisis.
• Obama's success in the polls suggests that candidates may be more successful by intuiting the personal qualities needed to meet the job requirements. Obama's presentation reflects his analysis of what the interviewers are looking for – beyond the requirements.  Obama has presented himself as calm and thoughtful in response to the $700 billion bail-out plan; he has left himself some wiggle-room in the event he actually inherits is crisis.  He appeals to an unstated desire to lower the heat on our discourse and become more unified and accepting in our interpersonal (and global) relations.  While Obama's political philosophy may be somewhat to the left of most Americans, he is winning voters over with transferable skills that demonstrate an ability to listen and collaborate before responding to challenges.

Let's relate this thesis to the situation faced by a recent business school graduate. Here's a posted job requirement: 3-5 years brand management experience in a consumer products environment.  Suppose you are a candidate with 2-3 years experience as a blogger for a professional association?  What are the transferable skills that you gained as a result of this paid or unpaid experience?  What are the personal qualities that you can claim as a result of your successful contribution to the exponential growth of the association-its growth in membership, recognition in its space, increased revenue, etc? 

• A blogger must design communication that specifically supports a brand, in this case, the niche carved-out by a professional association.
• Your experience required a great deal of collaboration between staff, current members, and the public, including potential members.  You've come to understand the perspective of these disparate groups and understand what they need from the association, the brand called…
• You have an impressive portfolio of Web 2.0 and traditional marketing pieces that have been targeted to a niche market.  You have conducted competitive analysis in the association's space.  Again, this directly transferable to brand management.
• You cultivated relationships with association members who work for consumer products companies; they know you, respect you, and will advocate for you.

So, do you get the interview?  If so, can you win the job?  Invoke the lessons of the national interview.  For more on this topic, listen to Blogtalkradio.com on October 30, 2008 – Noon – <http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jibberjobber>  The podcast will be available for download later…

A client has maintained a constant training regimen
to scale her brick wall: technology is sending her job to the scrap-yard. 

She is an incredibly positive and tenacious
person.  The transition/training process has required nearly 6 months of
patience and focus; now she is close to realizing her goal.  One door may be closing, but a window is
opening…

Her recent e-mail referenced this excerpt from the
last lecture of Professor Randy Pausch, who offered a legacy talk shortly
before his struggle with cancer ended with his death. Perhaps these words will inspire
those who are trying to scale their own walls

The brick walls are there
for a reason.

The brick walls are not
there to keep us out;

the brick walls are there
to give us a chance

to show how badly we want
something.

The brick walls are there to stop the people

who don’t want it badly
enough.

They are there to stop the
OTHER people!

-

Download randy_pausch.m2YH4U3WTBO0QA.htm

Randy Pausch

If
you’re reading this article, you probably understand that job
successful job seekers talk about what they have accomplished in
previous positions, and present a “mini-business plan” to relate to the
needs of a prospective employer. Review the following list to be sure
you are prepared to interview successfully:

• You have
  clearly and concisely described one – two “success stories” for each of
  your previous employers, using the Problem (Challenge) – Action -
  Result model.
• You have analyzed your accomplishment
  stories to identify the personal qualities, skills, and areas of
  knowledge that made it possible for you to achieve your successes.

Going forward, you need to re-frame this data in terms of what is needed for the specific position you are applying for.

Step #1
- Study the job description and organization to identify the criteria
for the job (not “requirements”). The criteria are likely to be “soft
skills,” e.g., flexibility, team orientation, interpersonal skills,
etc. Create a grid, with the criteria on the left and your previous
employers across the top.

Step #2 – Fill-in the cells
with a note about each employer/accomplishment that addresses the new
job criteria. (Without the ability to post a table online, I can’t
provide a good-looking sample – contact this author for a complimentary
copy of this worksheet..)

Step #3 – Once you’ve
completed this “homework,” use your notes to prepare for questions and
conversation with the interviewers. Be careful to limit your responses
to three – four crisp sentences, using the Problem (Challenge) – Action
- Result model.

Ironically, you’ll need to rehearse these responses so you can deliver them in a style that appears to be totally spontaneous!  Rehearse
wherever you are alone and won’t feel silly talking out loud to
yourself, e.g., while driving, drying your hair, etc.  Want to hear a supportive refrain while practicing?  Try Frank Zappa’s 2005 The Classic Interviews ! 

Assuming that you are experimenting with the concept of proactive job search, check-out this list of preeminent small companies. They've been selected by Business Week for "showing resilience in the face of a worsening economy." 

Why should job seekers give greater consideration to smaller companies, e.g. those with fewer than 500 employees?  Because this sector of the economy has been more nimble since 2003; they are most likely to seek innovators as they navigate the current economic downturn.

• Beginning in 2004, Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that job creation moved from larger to smaller companies.  A few of the simple reasons:
  • Smaller companies need to hire to fuel and sustain their growth
  • Larger companies may be under the spell of "slash and burn" CEO's

Read the full article referenced above (by Richard Kirby) to think about small versus large employers. For our purposes, consider the following criteria when evaluating the Business Week Hot Growth Companies or performing a SWOT analysis on any potential employer.

• 
Is the company focused on organic growth from the inside . . . or
growth through external M&A?

•  Does the company reward and promote high achievers?

•  Do they truly value their employees?

Perform your due diligence using the strategies suggested in 5 clues to your next big thing and answer these (and other) questions
before you decide to sign up with a new employer. 

The daily dose of "political gotcha" reveals the soft underbelly of the paradigm shift that is occurring in the political sphere and in society.  Those born between 1965 – 1990 are known as Gen X and Gen Y, or Generation X and Millennials: most will be eligible to vote in November 2008.  If they continue to show interest in the election, it is indeed possible that young voters will pick the next president (Jean M. Twenge).  Based on an analysis of the generations in the workforce, what can the candidates learn to evaluate their appeal to the "GenMe’ers?"

Together with my colleague, Billie Sucher, I’ve been preparing a
presentation for the Career Management Alliance later this week. If the
three candidates for President of the USA were in our audience, I’d ask
them to consider the following points:
Values: 

• Millennials are likely to care about green policies, volunteerism, and social entrepreneurship, an interesting juxtaposition to their need for approval and self-centeredness.  Their Gen X older brothers/sisters are more cynical about institutions and leaders; they want to be at the cutting edge, and are willing to break some rules to achieve their goals – they have been at the vanguard of the "free agent" workforce.
• It may surprise you to learn that McCain and Ron Paul – with their individualistic and libertarian messages, have been well received by younger voters, along with Barack Obama.  Hillary Clinton’s promise to return to the "peace and prosperity" of the 90’s, is suspect and less appealing to this  demographic.

Clashpoints:

• Traditionalists, those born before 1945, believe that things get done right through Chain of Command. Boomers agitate for Change of Command – a chance to become the leaders; Generation X prefer Self-Command – free agency, while Millennials expect NO Command – they want to collaborate. 
• Clearly John McCain represents the best of the chain of command philosophy, but respect doesn’t necessarily mean support.  While Boomers may believe their efforts to change the world in the 1960’s and 1970’s qualifies them for acceptance by their children, the fact is, most Boomers didn’t tune-in and drop-out – they tuned-out and gave-up.  Collaboration is a new style that is promoted by the Brand called Obama – whether it can withstand the politics of "gotcha" remains to be seen…

Paradigm Shift:

• The Golden Rule, that most of us accepted while growing up, calls for us to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  It assumes that we are homogeneous; it is a product of the "Melting Pot." 
• The Titanium Rule, which many GenMe’ers subscribe to, calls for us to "Do unto others, keeping their preferences in-mind."  This assumes that we are diverse; it is a product of the uni-cultural or trans-cultural point of view, a perspective that is supported by the demographic changes occurring in the USA.

Mrs. Clinton, Mr. McCain, Mr. Obama – hope to meet you in Minneapolis so we can help you "Mind the Gap."

In April 2007, I returned from The Alliance Conference like an athlete recovering from strenuous exercise: heart racing, exhausted, and amazingly energized.  Last week’s Global Branding Summit had a similar affect on me: I wish there were more productive hours in the day to experiment with all the new ideas and Web 2.0 strategies I’ve been exposed to.

Many of the current readers of Career Acceleration Notes were not reading this in April, so please allow me to restate and reaffirm my commitment to my career, and most importantly, to your career:
You + Me = Success 4 Us   

from April 2007:

My immersion into professional development activities leaves me
even more invested in providing you with the most current ideas and
strategies in career development.  My head is spinning with the success
stories of the most successful career coaches, résumé writers,
recruiters, and business developers in the country.  So what’s in it
for you, current, future, and past Career Acceleration clients?

•    "The Brand Called YOU", the article by Tom Peters that
I have sent to most of you, is the center of a relatively new movement
in career development.  Those of you who are already working with me
have been developing your Value Proposition or Brand as it relates to
target organizations; we’ll do this more purposefully and broadly from
now on.

•    We’ll be more daring as we
differentiate you from others in your field.  I’ve been emboldened in
my thinking about your résumés, prospecting letters, and cover letters.

•    We’ll work together more selectively in building and nurturing your network.

•    We’ll work together more
effectively in bringing together all the actors in the career
development sphere – other career coaches, recruiters, HR
professionals.  Your success is THEIR success too.

•    We’ll practice using Web 2.0
technology to achieve our goals, and move toward Web 3.0 so we are
never relegated to technological irrelevance and incompetence.

Thank you for choosing to work with me; thank you for helping me
to learn and grow alongside you as we reach for our shared success in
the world of work.  Inspired by the UBS tag-line, let’s commit to You + Me = Success 4 Us.

I was asked to present a workshop at a Career Fair sponsored by Univision on 10/20/07; this was the Spanish language television station’s first attempt to hold a career fair for the community in Philadelphia.  Networking was the topic I was asked to speak about, so I decided to illustrate the power of networking rather than talk about it. (decision influenced by my inability to speak Spanish fluently, or even well!)

I had asked my colleague and friend, Billie Sucher, for permission to have her poem translated by my Spanish-speaking son and his girlfriend so that I could share it with this group. Billie was honored and thrilled to know that her words may inspire people she would otherwise not reach.  The translation was able to retain both the meaning and the rhyme, and it conveyed the concept without the need for further explanation.: click here for the Spanish version (View this photo
)

So why is this love-fest an example of networking?  What is this thing we call networking?

• Networking takes place when people are sincerely curious and open-minded; one party has to be interested in the work of the other to create an environment for networking to take place:
  • As Billie describes it, she initiated our relationship "over a fancy centerpiece at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, KY;" she commented on a blog post I had written. We became buddies, not just during the Conference but thereafter via e-mail and occasionally, via phone.  In May 2008, we’ll present a workshop to our Career Management Alliance colleagues…
• Networking is a 400-level course: whoever initiates it has the responsibility for learning something about the other before making a connection; it helps if both parties are as interested in giving as in receiving:
  • Billie and I knew a little about each other via our respective blogging; that was the building block for a relationship where we serve as a resource and support for one another in our respective businesses.  We take turns using our ears twice as much as our mouth…
• Unlike those who network for self-interest, we have nurtured our relationship; we realize that it must be reciprocal and on-going
  • Never treat your network like "tissues:" as if you can use them and throw them away when you are finished. Networks must be nurtured for a lifetime of career success.
• Effective networking is using your imagination to consider how you might add value to or extend the work of someone else.
  • Billie shared the pre-publication version of her contribution to a Career Hub e-book (WOW Networking: Tips, Tricks & Tractics).  Apart from a "you go girl,"  I thought the poem may help to cross the cultural disconnect that may exist in presenting the concept to the constituents of UNIVISION.

So now Billie’s poem is on the web in English and in Spanish, and has crossed a geographic and cultural divide. Do you have a better idea of how this networking dance is done?  Have a story to share?  Your comments on this blog are encouraged!

To talk with Billie Sucher or read more of her perspectives on career transition, check-out her web site:

Posted by Karen P. Katz