Don’t feel like you’ve found your niche yet? March 9, 2010
Posted by hardly Career Development
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Well, join the club!I don't know that I agree with the Michael Jordan pick for this list, but, hey, it makes you think.
Don’t feel like you’ve found your niche yet? March 9, 2010
Posted by hardly Career Development
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Well, join the club!I don't know that I agree with the Michael Jordan pick for this list, but, hey, it makes you think.
What is the employer thinking about when looking at your short-term roles? March 9, 2010
Posted by hardly Career Development
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If you've come this far through this series on short-term roles and how to work with such a past, it's time to confront what the hiring firm thinks about all this (If you need your nose rubbed in it, go back to the first post and re-read it).
To put this a different way, all the employer wants is an outstanding employee for as little as they can pay for them.
Most HR-types and Hiring Managers tend to dismiss candidates with too many short-term roles. Especially when they are faced with a buyers' market, as we are in today. But fortunately, not all. A small minority of these folks will look at someone who has had recent short-term roles and say, "Gosh, you know what, this candidate looks great, except for those recent short-term roles. We should bring them in because we might be able to get them below our target salary/comp range."
This is where being the product and the candidate at the same time gets tough. See, the few out there who see your value, also clearly see the risk you bring to the table. That risk has to be addressed, and the way our economic system addresses this is by discounting the value of somehow to offset the risk of purchase. This will come in three forms. One is a lower overall comp package. Or it might come as a Contract role that is positioned as a try-out. Or, it might come as a different role, with lower title, comp, etc.
But, it's a job.
And, you've grown. You will approach accepting it with greater understanding and humility and assess it more closely than those past roles that didn't quite work out. Because you want it to work out. Because you want to be successful. Because if you don't care, who will? But mainly, it's because you are going to need to stay with that company for a while to put those short-term roles behind you as you continue to grow your career.
p.s. Remember the key things you've learned from each of the roles you've held. Because you will be asked about them in your interviews, and sometimes it's just good to be reminded of the hard-won lessons.
Let’s say you don’t know how to network… December 29, 2009
Posted by hardly Career Development
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One of the so-called truisms about technologists is that we have weak social skills. This could be true. It could also be true that technologists self-select into a world where truth is either 1 or 0, as opposed to how well you spin a tale. Or, it could be that someone missed the social skills class in college.
If you are in the later, take a look at this post by Matt about Networking Gifts. If you think you aren't Networking enough, you are probably right, and if you think you don't know how to Network, you are probably right again. Do something about it, read Matt's post, and then commit to doing at least one a week if you are employed, and more if you are not.
On being lost December 22, 2009
Posted by hardly Career Development
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This last weekend, I took the Boy Scout Troop to an orienteering event.
Orienteering is a sport where you run a course of a set length with a number of control points you have to find. It is one of those things that sounds easy, but is decidedly not. Because sometimes the course creators hide a control in the shallows of a lake. Out of sight. And yes, you gotta wade out there and hit the control point.
Before we started the course, I asked the Scouts, "How do you know when you are lost?" The 2nd best answer was, "When you don't know where you are." The real answer is, "When you are panicking about not knowing where you are."
Which brings us to this post by Penelope Trunk, How to hit a wall at work, with grace. Because the feeling of being lost is not unique to knowing where you are physically. It also applies to other aspects of your life.
The answer to being lost is STOP. Stop, Think, Observe, Plan.
Thing is, at the end of what is probably the worst 12 - 18 months economically of our working lives, there are a lot of folks who are lost in their jobs, their careers, their unemployment.
STOPing. It works when you are charting your course, no matter how you define "Out There".
On being lost December 22, 2009
Posted by hardly Career Development
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This last weekend, I took the Boy Scout Troop to an orienteering event.
Orienteering is a sport where you run a course of a set length with a number of control points you have to find. It is one of those things that sounds easy, but is decidedly not. Because sometimes the course creators hide a control in the shallows of a lake. Out of sight. And yes, you gotta wade out there and hit the control point.
Before we started the course, I asked the Scouts, "How do you know when you are lost?" The 2nd best answer was, "When you don't know where you are." The real answer is, "When you are panicking about not knowing where you are."
Which brings us to this post by Penelope Trunk, How to hit a wall at work, with grace. Because the feeling of being lost is not unique to knowing where you are physically. It also applies to other aspects of your life.
The answer to being lost is STOP. Stop, Think, Observe, Plan.
Thing is, at the end of what is probably the worst 12 - 18 months economically of our working lives, there are a lot of folks who are lost in their jobs, their careers, their unemployment.
STOPing. It works when you are charting your course, no matter how you define "Out There".
Do you know what you are getting into? December 2, 2009
Posted by hardly Career Development
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One of the things that I've learned in working in and/or founding Startups is that you should clearly understand the potential exits for the business.
The common train of thought about this is how do the investors get the return on their investment? When should a founder step aside?
But the most frequent exit is that of employees leaving the company.
As you join a company, the thing that you will care about the most is going to be the people you work with, even though you may be initially focused on job content, potential for growth, and in the Great Recession, just getting a paycheck every two weeks. The people, your colleagues, will be the most important thing to you during the time that you are there. They will be that much more important to you in the time after you no longer work there.
Why?
Because several will become your friends. Several will serve as references for you turn later in your career. And others will unwittingly be back-door references you never know about that either help you get a job or not.
Do you know what you are getting into? December 2, 2009
Posted by hardly Career Development
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One of the things that I've learned in working in and/or founding Startups is that you should clearly understand the potential exits for the business.
The common train of thought about this is how do the investors get the return on their investment? When should a founder step aside?
But the most frequent exit is that of employees leaving the company.
As you join a company, the thing that you will care about the most is going to be the people you work with, even though you may be initially focused on job content, potential for growth, and in the Great Recession, just getting a paycheck every two weeks. The people, your colleagues, will be the most important thing to you during the time that you are there. They will be that much more important to you in the time after you no longer work there.
Why?
Because several will become your friends. Several will serve as references for you turn later in your career. And others will unwittingly be back-door references you never know about that either help you get a job or not.
Stupid Human tricks parts 2 and 3 September 30, 2009
Posted by hardly Career Development
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Have you ever seen or heard someone do something that is so stupid it leaves you dumbstruck?
The latest instance is the trend of recent college grads suing their alma maters because they cannot find a job.
Dumbstruck on so many levels.
First, because doing this means you are not accepting responsibility for your own life-long education.
And last, because it's too easy for your future employers to find out that you took this action.
Why would anyone who is responsible for the future of their team/group/company hire you when you have no sense of your own future?
Stupid Human tricks parts 2 and 3 September 30, 2009
Posted by hardly Career Development
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Have you ever seen or heard someone do something that is so stupid it leaves you dumbstruck?
The latest instance is the trend of recent college grads suing their alma maters because they cannot find a job.
Dumbstruck on so many levels.
First, because doing this means you are not accepting responsibility for your own life-long education.
And last, because it's too easy for your future employers to find out that you took this action.
Why would anyone who is responsible for the future of their team/group/company hire you when you have no sense of your own future?
