Reinke Faces Life

Answer #3

***Begin Quote***

I think the answer lies in getting the right advice. Typically the gap between outlining a goal and achievement of said goal is tantamount to actualisation. The answer, in regards to your career – I would suggest – lies in finding a ‘good’ recruitment consultant and picking their brain. – ‘I am doing ‘x’ but want to be a Murex/Fidessa Programme Manager – How do I go about this?’ A good consultant will be able to offer the advice you need and put the plan into action. – And its ‘free’, how good is that?

Hope that helps.

***End Quote***

# # # # #

FROM AN EMAIL EXCHANGE WITH A FELLOW TURKEY

***Begin Quote***

I think I am networked out…you just sent me an invitation to Naymz yesterday which I accepted. How many of these sites can one use ? I know I have signed up for ecademy (sp ?), friendster, Linkedin, Ryze, and probably others. The only networking site I really use on a regular basis is Linkedin.

*** End Quote ***

HERE’S MY RESPONSE

*** begin quote ***

I agree, but personally I’m afraid that by not being on one that I’ll miss something.

I didn’t do ecademy because it’s too European flavored. And, they want money. Ryze was taken over by MLMers imho. I use LinkedIn on regular basis too.

Do you still have two ids?

I agree that f2f is better, but what’s a poor fat old introvert to do. I like the “social networking” genre because as Lucht preaches “the web of weak links” and the fact that they “social networks” are really always working.

I won’t condemn all of “social networking” as an activity trap just quite yet. Only because I don’t have a higher value replacement.

Doing networking a la Lucht style (f2f as you mention) is just too expensive in attention, time, and money. Sure f2f is better than socnet, but you can do a lot more socnet than f2f.

Are they equally productive?

I believe not.

But, I don’t know what the Expected Value comparison would look like.

If one could do 100 high quality f2fs, what would one expect? If one does 1000 high quality socnet contacts, what would one expect? Clearly, I can’t do 100 f2fs. But, I can juggle a 1000 socnets. The payoff is still uncertain.

As always, YMMV,
:-)
fjohn

*** end quote ***

The problem as I see it is that you have no way of estimating the roi. Networking by f2f or by socnet is completely different. I’m not even sure if it is fair to compare. Clearly, f2f has a higher cost. Clearly, socnet is “easier”; at least easier to a fat old ITSJ. As an old injineer, you’d have to design a very careful experiment before making conclusions. It’s a social science nightmare. So many variables, so few constants. Even one’s experiment could be contaminated by a worsening or even an improving economy. Argh! It makes my head hurt with just the thought.

IMHO, socnet is a different kind of “networking”. Potentially a precursor or auxiliary to “f2f networking”. It certainly does NOT map to Lucht’s structured networking paradigm “make appoint to sked 15 minutes, meet (five on hello / goodbye, five on what you want, five on what the target sees), extract two names, send ty, repeat until you find a job”.

I THINK imho “networking” is the process of creating (weak) ties with people, who when they hear of something that you’d be interested in, will take the time to contact you. The usual motivation is like “mutually assured destruction” (i.e., I’ll look for you and you look for me). Although, other motivations might be: common ties (i.e., same school), mutual friends (i.e., a common friend), shared interests (i.e., golf), or even a grandfalloon (i.e., a mythical common bond like vets about military service). In f2f, the motivation to cooperate is high because both halves have made an investment in the relationship. In socnet, the motivation is unclear because the focus in on the communication vehicle.

Have to think about this some more.

# # # # #

Answer #2

***Begin Quote***

liken the career path to a business plan. Business set up their goals for the next 18-24 months and end up changing them as they move along due a number of external factors that are out of their control.

Career pathing is so different for each company that there’s no “SDLC”. My recommendation is to look at your company’s goals and map those goals into your current job and your next job. Get with your manager and set those tasks on paper. Tie your bonus dollars that year toward successful achievement of those goals.

Then look at positions or departments and why a move would make sense for you. You may choose never to move up but rather to move across the organization leveraging your current skills to build new skills. There’s no silver bullet for career pathing, just try to plot a sensible path that is achievable and make modifications as you learn more. Good luck.

***End Quote***

# # # # #

Answer #1

***Begin Quote***

The best one is a combination of your own brain, a pencil and a piece of paper (back of an envelope if you’re a startup kind of guy). Simple is best.

***End Quote***

# # # # #

http://www.personalbrandingsummit.com/2007/11/recordings-now-.html

Recordings Now Available!

***Begin Quote***

Recordings of “A Brand You World – 2007 Global Telesummit” teleseminars are now available. Select the MP3 link to the left of each teleseminar to download the recording or listen online. You can also access the podcast with iTunes.

***End Quote***

a ton of great advice!

# # # # #

A LINKEDIN QUESTION I POSED

***Begin Quote***

Does anyone ever have a “career plan”? What tools do you use to support that plan?

I’ve been counseling my “turkeys” ((i.e., out of work fat old white guys usually in the IT field; you know COBOL guys in the RUBY age) about having a written plan for what they want. Everyone has heard that urban legend about 97% of successful Harvard graduates had a written plan when they graduated. (Have to research that particular urbanity!) But I haven’t found any web tools that support developing a “career plan”. Not that I need one now. But for my fellow turkeys. There’s execunet (www.execunet.com) for executive job search. There’s jibberjobber (www.jibberjobber.com) for personal network management. But what helps plan the career? What is the “Microsoft Project” for turning a string of jobs into a career plan?

***End Quote***

# # # # #

FROM A RESPONSE ON LINKEDIN BLOGGERS

*** begin quote ***

If we build networks on trust, what do we do with those companies and/or those employees who place little value in honoring their words, their commitments? If they demonstrate a pattern of not honoring their word, how do we introduce them to others in our networks?

*** end quote ***

I think, and I advise my “beloved” turkeys — those poor souls who didn’t memo about the roe (rules of employment) changing, that they have to play “offense / defense” continually. They must be on the offense to always be looking out for Number One and that ain’t their employer. They must be on the defense at all times because they are really only assured of the last paycheck that cleared the bank.

No, the rules have changed.

Companies don’t realize the employees, that they fire – discourage – denigrate, are their intellectual capital. They get to “rebuy” their skills at a greatly inflated rate from a consulting shop, but they don’t get the benefit of the genius that they lost. Their “bench” of people, who once aligned themselves with the company long term, is gone. With it, the in depth understanding of what was done, why, and when. So companies get to make the same mistakes over again and pay for them again in even great amounts.

In my career, I have watched the centralized – decentralized, fat – thin – zero client, rapid / traditional paradigms done over, and over and over again. Wait five years and you are dealing with a completely “new” company. I call it “Organizational Alzheimer’s”. The sad part is it’s self-inflicted. And, no one seems to recognize just how expensive it is.

To the question, one introduces candidates and companies very carefully. One ensures that both know the “facts of life” of the new “employment” meme. One carefully weighs each against the standard, “what does it do to advance the needs of each side”. How does the value extracted get divided? And where’s my share!

Just as the ERISA laws of the 1970’s led to the era of five year employees (i.e., the time needed for a pension to vest);

just as the dotcom bubble made everyone an “owner” in some fashion or other (i.e., you only went to work for a “hope ‘n’ prayer” company if you got shares;

just as today’s “what’s in it for me culture” has led to mutually disloyal companies and employees;

the new corporate organization will be a small core of “employees” with lucrative employment contracts that mange the services of other small corporations.

So, everything will be spun out to autonomous little corporations and there will be no “long term” thinking. Forget Bell Labs, forget GE “bringing good things to life”, forget 3M with a slew of new products. It’ll be the march of little enterprises — the nano-izing of business (i.e., like penguins). That’s what we will have to deal with. You’ll be “in”, “out”, or “owning”.

And the costs will be driven out of all processes. (Margins will be razor thin!) But the overall cost to the economy will be higher. (Adding up all those margins will make the end to end cost a lot more!) It’s going to get a lot tougher to “make a living” unless you are smart enough, lucky enough, or practical enough to find a “killer” idea. (Opportunities have to pay off bigger. More risk must be taken. More spectacular failures!)

Makes me glad that I am coming to the end of my career. I don’t envy you youngsters!

***End Quote***

# # # # #

FROM ELECTRONIC RECRUITING NEWS

Recruiting In The Trough I

***Begin Quote***

(November 13, 2007) Everyone agrees that the economic downturn is imminent. Maybe it’s already begun, maybe it will wait until the beginning of the next American administration. It’s coming to theatre near you.

{Extraneous Deleted}

As inflation eats a hole in the pocketbooks of pensioners, there will be an interesting dampening effect. The effective retirement age has to rise by a year for every 10% of inflation. Since more senior employees are less vulnerable to inflation (and career transitions are harder to manage), attrition will be skewed towards a younger demographic.

***End Quote***

It would appear that there is a “sub prime bust” coming to the employment marketplace in the next year.

That tells me to advise my turkeys:

(1) Adjust your job replacement formula:

{For those, who aren’t aficionados of the Big Turkey’s methodology for calculating “job replacement interval”. Using my patented and copyrighted methodology, you can easily determine how many months YOU will need to find a new job. That is a function of: Annual Salary; the likelihood of a layoff in your company, industry, or skill set; the ease of finding another job in their skill set; their age; and the economy.}

Without going into great depth, I am advising all my Turkeys to adjust “the economy” value to THREE from ONE! This is one notch below it’s all time high of FOUR during the dotcom bust. This unprecedented jump is justified on the signals for Wall Street that rough times are ahead.

(2) Batten down your financial hatches.

Begin immediately to reduce your financial burn rate and increase your savings rate. Beware taking on any indebtedness for any reason.

(3) Solidify your current employment situation

Do whatever is necessary to make yourself valuable, popular, and worth keeping on the payroll. Now is not the time to “get thrown” off the bucking horse.

(4) Increase networking activity

You need to aggressively network to ensure your continued employ ability. Turkeys are advised to review their days outstanding in their various networking panels with an eye towards lowering them if feasible.

(5) Increase internet work on your “brand”

Since the internet works for you 24/7, it’s important to have sites, social networking presences, blogs, wikis, and forums that represent your brand. Spruce up and freshen up all online assets.

# # # # #

www.jibberjobber.com

***Begin Quote***

We are offering a special buy-one-get-one-free upgrade right now on the one year and two year packages, which expires on Monday, November 19th at midnight.

***End Quote***

This is one of the few things that I think a seeker might spend some buxs on. That list is very very short. So in case you were waiting for a sale to do “something”, here’s a sale.

# # # # #

A TURKEY SENT ME THEIR RESUME. SO I WAS OBLIGED TO COMMENT.

*** begin quote ***

May I make some observations?

Thanks, (I would anyway, but I’m working on my pushy image!)

For a project manager to be in a time bind, isn’t such a good admission. I try to answer every email or phone call in 24 hours. It might be just a quick response, but never never ever let them see you sweat.

:-)

I know I know easier said than done.

Now about your resume.

Sorry, but it “screams” I did it myself from a book.

I don’t have a slot free in my turkey farm http://tinyurl.com/lxu93 currently (I have five slots for my “turkeys” (i.e., people in job search) where I dedicate a short block of time to work with them 1on1 about their search.) but let me steal a few minutes from my morning coffee to give you some ideas. (Actually the ideas are precanned snippets of advice that I can use a macro to put up at a moment notice. Didn’t want you to think I was feeding you a load of “barbara streisand”.)

Here’s what I saw when I opened your resume and some thoughts.

* A resume’s only purpose is to get read and motivate the reader to action.

* You have to break the 15 second barrier and the 60 second barrier. You have 15 seconds to make the reader invest the next minute. Then, you have one minute to make the reader put your resume on the “keep stack”.

* Name address block takes far too much of the top real estate. Get it all on one line in unbolded ten point font. If you’re the right candidate, the hunter will break out a magnifying glass to read your contact info if needed.

* “summary” doesn’t summarize. Should be “objective”; and it’s not your objective it’s the reader’s.

* Upon further review “highly effective” should have been stroked out as well.

The balance of the resume is far too wordy. You need to make it easy to read. Think movie cliff hanger. Think “how’s she do that?”. Think “Wow!”.

You want to play par golf. In resume land, that is PaaR! Problem, analysis, action, results. Write down in each position what are the three major problems I was handed, what analysis did I do, what actions did I take, and what results I achieve. Then you throw out the Analysis and Action (They get that when they hire you.) and put in the Problem and Results.

So, for example, I found that the whatchamacallit project was late, over budget, and under functional. So I did an resource analysis and found that there were no left handed paper hangers assigned! Since fifty percent of the wall were right handed and the rest left handed, there were right handed paper hangers struggling to paper the left handed walls where they had to reach over their bodies to paper. I fired half the right handed ones and hired an equal number of left ones. Then you write: “The whatchamacallit project was late, over budget, and under functional. The project was back with in spec in 4 months at no additional cost after I was hired.”

See the diff! I can hear the recruiter getting on the phone know. “How did you do that?” “Hire me and I’ll tell you. I’m not a free consultant that can be had for an interview.”

*** end quote ***

People are enamored by their own name. That block of text can easily occupy 100% of that incalculably valuable resume real estate. When I see a resume like that I cringe. Because I know what is coming. I, I, eye, I, I, eye. Everything will be about them. When it should be about the hiring manager who’s reading it.

fwiw

# # # # #