Been thinking about the best next career? June 24, 2009
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns, career, jobs
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I've had a number of conversations with people of late regarding the economy, their career, and what the future may hold for them.
Be Bold! June 11, 2009
Posted by hardly Resumes, career
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There are so many ways to make your resume stand out.
One thing you can learn traveling to Salt Lake City May 21, 2009
Posted by hardly Travel, career
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Yesterday, I made a 1-day excursion to Salt Lake City.
Before I left, I lost my Driver's License. I did not know this at the time.
You know how there are some things in your life that have bad ju ju, so you usually avoid them? Well, New Year's Eve and Salt Lake City are mine. Which is not to say the primary mission of my trip was a failure, far from it. But, the stuff happening on the sidelines was, um, attention-getting.
For instance:
- Yes, it is possible to get on a plane without a Driver's License or Passport. It is a highy educational experience.
- TSA professionals are sympathetic and helpful when confronted with this problem.
- If you are HUGE, like me, you will be uncomfortable in the seats on a Delt flight. By HUGE, I mean 5'10", and 180 lbs.
- There are Delta Customer Service personnel who are nice and helpful. They just don't occur as frequently as you think they ought.
- The Customer Service personnel at Fox Car Rental all seem to be far more interested in their co-workers, their co-worker's immediate families, their co-worker's cousins, and upselling you on insurance than actually getting you into your rental car in a timely manner.
- It is possible to get carded as a middle-aged male. And, no, the id you use to get onboard the plane will not get you a drink.
- Drunk, aggressive, muscle-bound guys have an impairment to getting luggage in overhead bins. And being nice to the only good Delta flight attendant in existence in the Western U.S.
- No matter what, chewing tobacco, and using a spit bottle on flight is not attractive. Especially if you're a drunk, aggressive, muscle-bound guy.
- No amount of cologne will improve your attractiveness if you are a drunk, aggressive, muscle-bound guy.
The one thing? Don't leave your driver's license or passport behind.
All Apologies April 24, 2009
Posted by hardly Strategic Concerns, career, tom peters
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Tom Peters has what looks like a great post about the skill of apology. In it, he cites a new book (release date 5/1) by John Kador, Effective Apology: Mending Fences, Building Bridges, and Restoring Trust.
Which economy are you in? April 23, 2009
Posted by hardly AP, Strategic Concerns, career, jobs, work
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There is no question that we live in a very interesting time.
I agree… April 6, 2009
Posted by hardly Penelope Trunk, Strategic Concerns, career, jobs, work
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One of the things that always struck me odd are Women in Software Engineering groups. It's not that I don't agree with the notion that it's hard for women in software engineering, but to say that gives the notion that it's easy for the guys, which is BS. It's hard for everyone, because the leaders are just as screwed up for the girl as for the guys, and more to the point, everyone is different. So, your point of view about a given problem/situation will necessarily be different than anyone else's, regardless of your sex.
So, it's not surprise that Penelope Trunk's article, The G-20 is Complete BS for Women, really struck a chord for me. It makes one think twice about long-cherished views regarding women and men in the workplace.
Who do you put in charge? April 1, 2009
Posted by hardly Cringely, Strategic Concerns, career, jobs, work
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Wonderful article to read on April Fool's Day by Bob Cringely about the 3 Mile Island nuclear accident.
He's got some great points:
- Errors in design lead to disasters.
- Errors in understanding desired outcomes lead to disasters.
- The wrong technology leads to disasters.
- Following the book leads to disasters.
- Over-engineering is sometimes a good thing.
- The leader's background matters a lot.
And by me saying these things doesn't take anything away from reading it. Great post, methinks.
With the chickens having come to roost in so many companies, and CxOs getting zapped left and right for good reason, we have to conclude that something is wrong in our selection process for the leaders of our companies. Not all companies, certainly, but enough that one should start saying "hmm".
When you go to work today, or when you decide to invest in a new company with you hard-earned savings, or when you look at working for a new firm, maybe you should think a bit about what makes your leader your leader.
re: Tell me what it’s going to take to hire you… March 31, 2009
Posted by hardly HR Capitalist, Job Hunt Process, career, jobs, work
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HR Capitalist gives some good advice regarding the whole question of revealing your salary history.
Now, I know there are those among you who don't want to talk about salary until the end of the recruiting process. You think it should be the last thing to do before accepting the offer.
In thinking about this frame, I circle back to many of the business deals I've been involved in. In every case, there is always a discussion of the price range up front. Otherwise, how do you know if you should continue the discussion, engage in all the people internally that are needed to make the deal happen?
Exactly.
In line with Kris's thinking, be prepared to have the discussion regarding the range, but don't assume that's the end of the discussion. It's just the start.
p.s. Yes, I'm still one for understanding the outcomes, statistically from all the approaches to this problem.
re: The real reason employers want your salary… March 30, 2009
Posted by hardly Ask the Headhunter, HR Capitalist, Job Hunt Process, SHRM, career, jobs, work
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Nick continues to beat the drum on your salary as part of the hiring process, and good for him! And, HR Capitalist has a pretty good idea about how HR should approach the general problem that asking for Salary during the interview process.
Getting back to Nick's post, he points out something that few employees, let alone employers think about. However, some parts of a company do, and it works like this:
- We are making $X revenue
- We have Y employees
- Y / X = Our revenue per person
In other words, most companies think about their payroll & benefits costs exactly the same way the finance industry thinks about mortgage backed securities. You know, those things that helped bring down our economy?
Put it this way, the benefits and risks for any one employee don't actually show up in most financial calculations about the company, just like the risks & rewards for a mortgage loan that is part of a mortgage backed security.
OOPS!
Given the failures we've seen in the financial sector, this is a place I'd love all those heavy thinkers at SHRM to spend some cycles making better stuff happen for us. I think they're about to not have to worry so much about a unionized workplace.
The challenges with Affiliation March 26, 2009
Posted by hardly HR Capitalist, Other, career, jobs, work
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One of the threads out there in blog-land and periodical-land is that HR Cannot Be Trusted.
HR Capitalist has a nice post about trusting the person, not the HR organization.
All this hubbub points out an interesting problem that we all face at some point in our career: You are affiliated with a group that's got brand challenges. So, what do you do?
New name?
New processes (New math? New Metrics?)?
Change what your org does?
Change how your org interfaces within the company?
Any, all. Just don't stand there like a bump in the road!
