Career Hub

The Talent War 50 Best Companies

The new generation of college grads, known as Millennials, will be entering the workplace in 2007 with plenty of career opportunities for all college majors, and with employers vying for their attention in the ever-escalating talent war. BusinessWeek's recent article, "The Best Places to Launch a Career", lists the top 50 "best" places for new grads based on a comprehensive feedback and rating system.

It's surprising to see the diverse industries represented by the top six: Walt Disney, Lockheed Martin, Deloitte & Touche, Goldman Sachs, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and the US Department of State. The types of perks the organizations on the top-50 list offer, which make them "best", include sizeable salaries, superior benefits, and committed employee training and development programs.

More than just a list, this article explores creative recruiting strategies, as well as the work ethic, strengths and weaknesses, and leadership potential of the Millennials. An interesting read, not only for employers, but also for anyone in the world of work. We are now in a four-generation workplace, so understanding the motivations and mindset of fellow employees (Millennials, Gen X, Gen Y, or Baby Boomer) could help all of us make our current workplace better, if not the "best".

Posted by Susan Guarneri

Focus on What Makes You Fabulous!

Today I was doing some final editing on a book I'm writing and I came across the story of a client I decided to add to the book (requiring further reformatting .... GRRR... but that's my problem, not yours!)

Anyway, this senior executive had lots of work experience and a ton of accomplishments. Listening to him talk, it was clear to me that everything he touched had turned to gold, and yet he was stymied. He had created many different versions of his resume, all attempting to play down what he considered to be weaknesses.

What were the weaknesses? No MBA, lots of varied positions (CFO, COO, CEO) and experience across many industries (no consistency). This guy had tied himself in knots trying to overcome what he saw as these weaknesses.

When he engaged me to write his resume, he sent me three different versions - all completely different, and none of them worthy of him.

In every job, my client had quickly zeroed in on the company's core problem. It didn't matter what position he held.  It didn't matter what industry he was working in - he consistently proved himself capable of finding the solution, no matter what the problem. And the results spoke for themselves - dramatic turnarounds, multi-million dollar sales increases, companies saved from bankruptcy .... the results were consistent and impressive.

Which made me think: How many of us are too harsh on ourselves? And how many more are too harsh when in the middle of a job search?  We look at our backgrounds and we see all the negatives and none of the positives. If you're in the middle of a job search and feeling that way, consider this:

If Bill Gates had to write his resume, would he worry that he doesn't have a degree? And that he's only ever run his own company and never had the experience of working for someone else? And how about the fact that all his experience has been in software development?

We all have weaknesses. We all have things that don't fit into the perfect, orderly plan we had for our lives. None of us are perfect  (even me, but don't tell my husband).

When you embark on a job search, DO NOT worry about what you don't have, didn't do, haven't experienced .. eliminate negative thoughts and focus on the positive aspects of the same information. Never worked for anyone else? Then you've never had to be told what to do. Held positions in many different industries? That means you're capable of success in any field. Don't have an MBA? Well look what you've accomplished without one!

I don't mean to sound like a Pollyanna, but the more I work with clients on their job search, the more I realize that it success really is all about attitude.

Stop beating yourself up about what's wrong and start acknowledging what's right. Companies want to hire winners and they're just waiting for you to show them why you are the winner they've been looking for.

Posted by Louise Fletcher

Top 100 Companies for Working Moms

Today a client asked me how feasible it is for a woman who is working and caring for young children to negotiate flexible work hours with a prospective employer. One of the best ways to successfully negotiate a flexible arrangement is to proactively seek interviews with companies that openly embrace work/life balance as part of their corporate culture. Conduct some "market research" that includes talking to friends who have flexible arrangements, seeking out special interest groups for women within industry professional organizations, and subscribing to business publications that frequently publish "Best Companies to Work For" lists such as Fortune, Crains, and Working Woman. In their September 2006 issue, Working Woman Magazine listed the Top 100 Companies for Working Moms. It's a great resource for women seeking opportunities with firms that are championing creative ways to retain their female talent.

How many frogs do you have to kiss?

Job hunting is akin to romance. Successful outcomes result as much from luck as using the right techniques. Being at the right place at the right time matters. Just as you have to kiss a lot of frogs until one turns into your prince, it takes a lot of interviews before you land the offer.  Experience counts. Interpersonal chemistry is important.  So what should a smart job seeker do to improve their luck? For starters, know what you are looking for and who is likely to be attracted to your skills. Focus on making personal connections that can provide leads. Agressively promote your talents to decision makers and above all, persevere. Don't be discouraged if the first group of frogs aren't prince material. Evaluate the circumstances. Correct deficiencies. Revise strategy. Remove barriers, then go back and "kiss" again until you find a new opportunity that appreciates you and also matches your career objectives. You should not feel defeated if it takes more effort than you thought would be necessary to transition into a new position. After all, aren't there more potential jobs out there than good mates available?

Posted by Debra Feldman

Sam I Am! Are you?

Seems many of the profound things I learn lately I either knew as a child and forgot OR a client teaches me.  So in keeping with this theory  I was reintroduced to a principal from childhood by a client - who happened to learn it from an article he read in the Wall Street Journal.  One of the best examples of tenacity and ultimately the way to seal a deal can be found in Green Eggs and Ham. At first I thought he was a bit wacky, but the more I thought about it... the more I realized he is correct. 

When you take the book out of context that is was originally slated for; phonics based fun; you realize that Green Eggs and Ham tells that tale of salesmanship coupled with tenacity at it's finest.  While Sam-I-am is surely vexing his target to "try them, try them, you will see" he is opening the door for a myriad of questions including: Has he tried them?  Why won't he try them? How does he know he won't like them?  No matter how Sam-I-am is rebuffed he keeps approaching the challenge from a different angle and instead of being annoying he is viewed as a sympathetic figure that believes in the merits - and tastiness - of his product. 

The next time you are looking for an interesting sales metaphor or need to reinvigorate your job search approach remember good ole Dr.Seuss and his genius with Sam-I-am and Green Eggs and Ham.

Posted by Liz Benuscak

It's the New Big

I finally had the opportunity to finish reading Seth Godin's latest book, "Small Is the New Big [and 183 other riffs, rants, and remarkable business ideas]" this past weekend. I took Seth's advice and read the book (a collection of mini-essays and "paragraphs with impact") in small chunks. Very manageable and, as always with Seth's stuff, just plain good. I love his dry, almost acerbic wit and he remarkably manages to hit the nail on the head every time. From Fluffernutter and Pez to wake-up calls and secrets to success (this last one is an excellent roadplan), the book is a treasure trove of inspirational, hilarious, and ah-ha! nuggets.

Especially salient to this group is "Jobs for Purple Cows." There's even an actionable strategy for avoiding the mailing of a resume for a job that interests you. His approach? Tear a page from his book (literally, it's p. 120 in the hardcover edition) and mail it along with a letter to a place where you know you can make a difference. Doesn't matter if they're not recruiting. Doesn't matter if they are and -- to borrow from Seth -- you aren't exactly the perfect peg for an existing hole. Use same-old strategies in a new way: Demonstrate clear value. Present your unique solution to their challenges. Compel action and be prepared to back it up. Then run with it. You might just be surprised at the results. You can also, then, avoid reading another of Seth's gems, "A Job Strategy that Makes You a Loser." More on that later.

-- Posted by Jan Melnik

Work Out to Work Up Fresh Ideas

Is your job search stale, tired, and going nowhere? Do you feel like you've tried everything and nothing's worked?

A column by creativity guru Doug Hall in Business Week's Small Biz magazine touts a Rhode Island College study that proved exercise resulted in an upsurge of creativity:

Exercise resulted in significantly higher... scores on the sheer number of ideas the test takers came up with, the ideas' originality, how well the test takers could elaborate on ideas, and how easily the test takers got stuck in a rut. Interestingly, the positive effect of exercise on creativity was just as high two hours after exercising as it was right after exercise. The bottom line: Your body may become fatigued when you work up a sweat, but your mind is reinvigorated.

We all know exercise is good for us, but - whether working or job-searching (or both!) - it's easy to slip into excuses rather than action - "I'm too busy." "I'll do it tomorrow." "I really need to spend the time on my job search." "I can't afford the nonproductive time."

Instead, think of it as a boost for your physical energy, overall well being, and - now - creativity! And if you can time your workout for just before an interview, you'll increase your ability to wow your interviewer with innovative ideas and out-of-the-box thinking.

Posted by Louise Kursmark

Do you have entrepreneurial blood in your veins?

People of all ages and from all over tell me two things all the time: One, I have a book in me that I'm going to write. And two, I want to start my own business.

Most people will never do either. More people will try the latter and fail. If you are thinking about starting your own business, here are some things to chew on before you take the leap.

Why Blogging Really, Really Matters

Recent Career Hub posts have focused on why blogging isn't the be-all-and-end-all of marketing/job search (Louise Kursmark), and why you should be careful about what you say in your blog (Barbara Safani). I agree with both these ideas -- but I think that more needs to be said about the positive aspects of blogging. No, let me rephrase that - the absolute necessity of blogging for anyone who wants to be taken seriously in their field of expertise.

Louise points out that blog readers are still in the minority. This is true. But numbers are not what counts here because the people who do read blogs are the early adopters. I'm one of them. I read blogs on pretty much everything. I also had an iPod before most people and I was using Google long before it became a verb. By the time most people have caught up with the newest trend, I'm usually bored with it. I'm not particularly smart - I just like new things. And usually the things I like wind up catching on with everyone.

Now there's no advantage to having an iPod before my next-door neighbor (other than the fact I got to listen to more music every day) but that's not the case with blogging. It takes time and hard work to build up an audience for a blog. There is already a lot of clutter. How much harder do you think it will be 5 years from now? So I do have an advantage because I'm building my audience now.

And if you're saying "yes, but we won't be blogging 5 years from now, we'll be doing something else" you're right. But I'll have an audience for whatever that is because I'm blogging now.

Blogs are just one aspect of the revolution that some geeky types call Web 2.0, but which basically means the revolution that gives us all the ability to publish content and collaborate online. Whether we're posting videos on Youtube, creating a MySpace page, or writing a blog, we are establishing a web presence and promoting ourselves in ways that were unthinkable just a few years ago.

Focusing just on the number of people who regularly read blogs misses a key aspect of their value. Search engines love blogs. A search for the term "behavior-based interview questions" turns up Career Hub on page 1 of Google, despite the fact that we have only one post on the subject. So people do not have to be regular blog readers to find your blog. And of course, once they are there they discover you.

I truly believe that there is now a very real digital divide, and every single job seeker needs to be on the right side of that divide. That's not to say blogging is for everyone. You need to have something to say (or at least be able to say nothing in an entertaining way) and you need to be a good writer. But if you can do it, there are few better ways to establish yourself as an expert in your field, and this is only just the beginning.

Posted by Louise Fletcher

Movin' the Chains

Ok, so I'm married to a football fanatic, and then there's our even more football-fixated, college-age son. Last Saturday, the long-awaited annual rival between The University of Iowa and the Iowa State Cyclones, aka Iowa's Super Bowl, finally happened.

To be sure, I know nothing about football -- don't even pretend to. As I sat watching the Hawks beat the 'Clones, I was struck by the correlation between the sport of football and the activity of job search. They are both fun, great games, intensely competitive, and "it ain't over till it's over." (Oh wait, wrong sport -- sorry, Yogi!)

Anyway, I really do have a point to this post -- so here's my non-scientific, less-than-scholarly take on football's likeness to job search:

• The Coach - a calm, confident, unflappable coach is divine! Find one that leads you to victory! (Gum-chewing is optional.)
• Strategy - even before your career game gets underway, formulate a plan, modify as you proceed, and execute to win.
• Teamwork - produces a definite advantage; different people doing different things for desired outcomes and results.
• Fans - you'll have plenty of them, both supporters and detractors in your quest to win a new job. Decide who you'll listen to and who you'll block.
• Referee - there will be many decision-makers who are going to "call the shots" in your career search. Who's worth heeding and who's advice will you toss?
• Unsportsmanlike conduct - always strive to let others see, hear, and experience the very best of your professional self.
• Intercepted - you will be faced with some setbacks, surprises, and situations where you're totally caught off guard. Get goin' or get benched!
• Downs - no matter what happens or what penalties and obstacles come your way, keep trying to advance to your target goal.
• End Zone - when you are doing the right things, at the right time, with a little luck and a lotta' wind, you just might score a TD and win the game!

The Hawks did! And so can you!