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UP: Influence Power and the U Perspective-- The Art of Getting What You Want

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Don't Let Age Hinder Your Job Search

Sunday, March 23, 2008

President John F. Kennedy once said of Walt Rostow, his former deputy special assistant for National Security Affairs, "Walt is a fountain of ideas; perhaps one in 10 of them is absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately, six or seven are not merely unsound, but dangerously so."

In that statement, Kennedy reminds us good ideas are more important than new ones, highlighting the value of judgment honed through experience. Yet, in a society that seems obsessed with whatever is new, it can be hard to sell the value of hiring an older employee. But there are many things a seasoned worker can do to overcome society's stereotypes and a hiring manager's potential bias.

"There is experience and then there is diversity of experience," says Thomas Fuller, general managing partner of Epsen, Fuller IMD International Search Group, an executive search firm based in Morristown. The quality of the experience is what matters, he says.

If you're an older job candidate, focus on your accomplishments, so a prospective employer recognizes what you'll bring to the organization. Describe that experience in a way that matches the business needs of the organization.

Jack Miller, (no relation to me), author of "Simply Success: How to Start, Build and Grow a Multimillion Dollar Business the Old-Fashioned Way," started a new career at age 69. After selling a previous business to retailer Staples, he became Chairman of Successories, a business-to-business mail-order firm.

Miller suggests older employees show how their experience will have an immediate effect on a company. He says veterans bring much to the work force: They tend to have a strong work ethic, are less likely to job hop and will not have the challenges of balancing work and the obligations of raising young children, factors that can be pointed out to a prospective employer.

Here are some other factors that will help older workers land a job:

  • Push past stereotypes that hiring managers have about older workers. Stay energetic, work out regularly and demonstrate enthusiasm for your work. It will go a long way toward getting a prospective employer to view you as an attractive candidate.
  • Demonstrate that you are not only computer literate, but also comfortable with learning new technology.
  • Create a presence on the internet via a personal web page, blog, articles published online or a profile posted on a professional networking website. During an interview, discuss trends in technology that might be relevant to the job you are seeking. This will also eliminate any lingering doubts about your ability to adapt to rapidly changing technology.
  • Do your home work. Most job candidates don't prepare for job interviews and are not sufficiently knowledgeable about the organizations they seek to join, says Milburn resident Brian Drum, who is president of the executive recruiting firm Drum Associates. Displaying your knowledge of a company exhibits your interest and will often impress the hiring manager.
  • A good job candidate "should have at least one significant job accomplishment for each year of employment," Drum says. Concrete examples of how you have successfully made transitions to new situations and stories about how you achieved significant results should give you an edge in the hiring process.

    Employers almost always seek a candidate with relevant experience -- just ask any student seeking his or her first job. Experience, however, does not preclude new ideas. Whether the candidate of experience triumphs over the candidate of new ideas, often has to do with how experience is presented.

    Veteran candidates wishing to be selected ahead of talented younger prospects should demonstrate to a potential employer that they can apply their experience in a rapidly changing business environment.

    A veteran human resources executive, Lee E. Miller is the author of "UP: Influence Power and the U Perspective -- The Art of Getting What You Want," and the co-founder of YourCareerDoctors.com, a website devoted to career success. Mail questions to Lee@YourCareerDoctors.com.

    Saturday, March 15, 2008

    GETTING AHEAD BY UNDERSTANDING THE PEOPLE YOU NEED TO INFLUENCE


    What determines why one person is selected for a job or a promotion and another is not? Most people believe that the answer to that question lies with the qualifications of the individuals being considered. If, like most people, you answered that the candidate with the most relevant skills and experience gets the job, you would be wrong. If someone is able to obtain a job interview or is being considered for a promotion, they are likely to be qualified to do the job. However, so are all the other candidates being considered for the position. The key to being selected is to distinguish yourself from all of the other qualified candidates.

    Standing out from the crowd has more to do with your understanding of the employer’s U Perspective than it does with your qualifications. An employer’s U Perspective is ‘what they care about.” Employers are not looking for the candidate with the best qualifications because there is no such thing as the “best qualified candidate” in the abstract. There is only the best candidate for a particular job as the person or persons making the decision see it. To show that you are the right person for the position you are seeking requires understanding the U Perspective of the people involved in making the decision to hire or promote you.

    While in most organizations there are a common set of shared values referred to as the organization’s culture, you don’t interview with an organization. You interview with individuals. For most jobs, you will have to interview with more than one person. Each person who interviews you sees the job somewhat differently. They define the perfect candidate as the perfect candidate for them. To convince an interviewer that you are the right person for the job, you need to figure out what the interviewer cares about.

    How each person defines that ideal candidate usually can be found in the answer to the question “What can this candidate do for me?” Individuals tend to see the answer to that question differently depending on their role in the organization. Someone from Human Resources will have a different U Perspective than someone in Finance and both will differ from what your future boss will be looking for in a job candidate.

    Typically a Human Resources executive is looking for the obvious choice -- someone who will be readily accepted by everyone involved. That way the Human Resources executive can fill the position quickly, satisfy his or her clients and move on to other work. He or she also needs to be able to the articulate reasons why you are the best candidate for the job. If a candidate has all the right skills and experience, and fails, no one will blame the Human Resources executive for recruiting someone who was clearly wrong for the job. On the other hand, if that individual favors someone who doesn’t fit the job specifications’ exactly, even if the candidate is otherwise outstanding, and it doesn’t work out, the Human Resources executive is likely to face criticism. So, when you interview with a Human Resources executive demonstrate how you meet all the important qualifications for the job. Be prepared with specific examples of things that you have done in the past that relate to the types of problems the company is currently facing.

    Sometimes a Finance executive will be involved in the hiring process. What is their U Perspective? The Finance executive wants someone who they will be able to work with -- someone who knows how to stay on budget and help reduce expenses or generate revenues. Those are the skills you want to emphasize if you happen to be interviewing with a Finance executive.

    The hiring manager, your future boss, is looking for someone who can help solve his or her most pressing problems, whatever they are. Even Human Resources and Finance executives will have a different U Perspective when hiring or promoting someone who will work for them than when they are recruiting for someone else. The hiring manager has immediate needs and wants someone to help take care of those needs. Hiring managers are most likely to be focused on whatever they deem to be the most significant problem they face at that moment. They want someone that can have an immediate impact. Therefore, the most important question you can ask your prospective boss is, “What is it at work that keeps you up at night?” The answer to that question will help you determine the hiring manager’s U Perspective. That is what you should focus on. If you can help the interviewer deal with those issues, you have gone a long way toward getting the job.

    While you are the same person, with the same skills, experience and personal qualities no matter who is interviewing you, what you chose to emphasize makes all the difference in the world. Remember each person with whom you interview views the job being filled slightly differently based on how they interact with that position. That is why it is their U Perspective. When you are talking about your ability to do the job, how you are seen by the interviewer depends on what you choose to emphasize. Focus on what is most important to the person interviewing you.

    Thursday, March 13, 2008

    Don't wear blinders about possible layoff

    Sunday, March 09, 2008

    "I should have seen it coming" is a common lament from those who end up laid off as a result of corporate downsizings and restructurings.

    There usually are ample warning signs a layoff is coming, and that you are likely to be among the victims. When faced with that inevitability, though, "a lot of people choose to shut their eyes to the obvious signals," says Susan Ascher, chief executive of the Ascher Group, a human resources staffing firm in Roseland. That can be a costly mistake.

    No one is immune from layoffs. A recent survey of 126 U.S. employers conducted by Mercer Consulting found 33 percent are considering hiring freezes or downsizing. In our rapidly changing world, odds are, sooner or later, most people will find themselves, often through no fault of their own, out of work. So it makes sense to learn how to recognize the warning signs. That way, you will be able to take steps to increase your survival, or be better positioned to deal with losing your job.

    Companies that show signs of financial stress often find it necessary to resort to layoffs. So, if your company is slow paying its bills, is discussing outsourcing of various functions, has discontinued products or lost key customers, is cutting budgets or is the subject of takeover rumors, there is a good chance of a layoff.

    You can reduce your chances of being laid off by getting involved in activities that are critical to the company's future. Keep your skills current, present yourself as someone who goes above and beyond expectations. Whether you will be among the victims of a downsizing depends on many things, some of which are completely outside of your control.

    Walter Sonyi, executive vice president of Gateway International Group, an outplacement firm in Parsippany, offers these key indicators as signs of a layoff:

  • You stop being invited to meetings or being copied on e-mails.
  • Your boss or colleagues avoid looking you in the eyes.
  • When you approach, people stop talking or abruptly change the topic.
  • You are discouraged from joining professional associations or going to conferences.
  • Some of your job duties are reassigned.
  • Your colleagues seem to know more about what is going on than you do.
  • If you think you are likely to be laid off, it is always best to be proactive. While it may already be too late to change the outcome, it can't hurt to try to demonstrate your value.

    The best response, Ascher advises, is to "be visible, be valuable, be positive and be knowledgeable." Make sure your boss knows about your recent successes, increase your visibility on projects viewed as critical to the organization's future and be willing to volunteer to take on added responsibilities. When times are tough, a positive "can-do" attitude is always highly prized.

    Do not, however, ignore the possibility that your fate may already have been sealed. Make a concerted effort to focus on career-sustaining activities you may have let slip due to the press of other responsibilities. They include:

  • Updating your résumé.
  • Staying in touch with your professional network.
  • Increasing your involvement in professional associations and activities.
  • Enhancing your skills and industry knowledge.
  • Getting your finances in order.
  • Being ready to begin a job search if necessary.
  • It is never too soon to start preparing for the possibility that, this time, your number will be up.

    A veteran human resources executive, Lee E. Miller is the author of "UP: Influence Power and the U Perspective -- The Art of Getting What You Want," and the co-founder of YourCareerDoctors.com, a website devoted to career success. Mail questions to Lee@YourCareerDoctors.com.