Couldn’t help thinking about the number of executive coaches there are in the market today to help executives with their personal and staff development. It is not a new profession, just one that has expanded out of need. And why is the number growing? There are a number of reasons including the fact that companies of all sizes do business in a complex global environment and a number of executives have not been well trained to manage growth in this environment – they need coaching.

If executives need coaching, what about the everyday Joe and Joan out there interested in growing and developing their own careers? Easy, Joe and Joan need coaching too but where to get the career coaching and training may not be readily available. Your company may have career development path assistance available and if so you need to find out ‘the what’ and ‘how’ and get signed up. If not, here are a few suggestions that may help.

1. Ask your company. If you don’t know, ask and by asking, you learn that coaching is not available, at least now you know, and can look elsewhere AND you’ve made the company aware this could be an important initiative to help retain great talent.

2. Determine a career goal. Your goal may be to discover what your career goal options are and that’s great – it counts. Or you may know precisely what you want to achieve. Either way, setting the goal is the starting point and to run any race we all have to start somewhere.

3 Write down names for your career advisory board. Start ups and not for profits do it all the time, they establish an advisory board to help by providing the value of expertise. If you stop and think about it for a few moments, you can come up with a list of people you know through work, industry luminaries you would like to know, friends of family members or family members who have experienced enough of life’s ups and downs to provide valuable career guidance.

4. One you have a list and make it as long as you like, write a compelling description of why coaching and advising you would be of value. It may be that you want to learn so you can pass the coaching on to others, it may be of value to your industry or family. Come up with a reason for others to help coach you in your career.

5. Can’t come up with a good reason….tell the truth – “I need your help.” The good ole USA is not the most charitable society on earth for no reason, we like to help, we understand that giving returns has value to us many times over. Tell the truth, I need a great career advisory board and I would appreciate your guidance. You will be surprised at the number of people you know or those you don’t who will be willing to lend a hand….if you are sincere.

6. Offer to return the favor…”what can I do for you?” This exchange could lead to a barter situation which is OK or you may find the person states, “Oh, there is nothing really.” Do not let it sit there, OFFER to return the favor and if they don’t let you then find the right time and place to do something to help them.

Coaching matters. None of us were put on this earth with all the skills necessary to do a job well. It takes failure, coaching and a steadfastness to obtain a goal. It is too easy for a few to either say or display that the DNA of our American culture to get any job done is fading. Hey, that is bull. Let people know what you want, work hard and ask for the coaches you need in your career to make sure you accomplish all that you dream of doing.

6 Ways To Establish A Private Career Coach is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Could you hear yourself saying….?

“Sir, my goal is to succeed. I plan to do that by working hard to provide value and service to our clients and my co-workers. I will fall and stumble at times, however I am determined to use these opportunities to learn and improve myself. I would be honored to work with your firm and hope I am blessed with the opportunity.”

Does reading this make you a little sick? Are you saying to yourself, no way I could say something like that? A lot of people moving into the workforce I have been exposed to do have that attitude. Instead, the thought has been, “If they want me they will come and get me or offer me a job when they meet me”. Well, that may be the way it works, but the reality is it is possible to talk your way in to a job of interest.

A person, especially a recent grad or one new in their career presenting themselves this way will get the attention of a hiring authority or a large company and particularly the owner of a small to medium sized company. Why? The attitude and desire of the talent is everything to a company hiring. Find someone willing who is honest, hardworking and wants to improve themselves in order to get ahead and a number of skills needed for the job can be learned. In fact, many companies may find that attitude is more important than one having the specific skills needed, combined with a questionable attitude.

• Attitude matters
• Present yourself as optimistic and positive
• Show you are willing to learn and improve
• Smile – everyone likes to work with happy people

Want that special job? Talk yourself into it with the right words and attitude.

One last point to make, this strategy can’t be faked for long – you have to live it.

How To Talk Your Way Into The Job You Want is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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It is interesting to me because reviewing the backgrounds of the two students would lead one to believe these two would have ‘no problem’ finding the right employer, really one would think employers should be doing all they can to pursue them, but they aren’t. I have a couple of ideas as to why the situation is what it is and more importantly, have suggestions for students looking for internships or work aligned with career desires.

One of the students I am working with is a merit scholar at a university in the southwest and is studying to graduate with degrees in economics, philosophy and Latin American Studies. The other will graduate from a top engineering school in the southwest with a degree in aeronautical engineering and has a high GPA.

So these descriptions beg a couple of questions:

1. What do students do to find the right opportunity?
2. Why are HR organizations for companies not aware of these students?

Let’s take these one at a time and we will get to suggestions, so bear with me.

What it appears students do to find work…

The answer to the first is what most people looking for work do – they review websites for job/opportunity postings and submit their resume, and then what happens? Nothing – crickets chirp louder and why? Easy, companies don’t have the resources to manage inquiries and few executives understand the need and upside for making investments in talent acquisition through great relationship management. In the late 90’s, because of the Internet the future was described as one where companies would seek out and value talent relationships ahead of need…that HR would become strategic versus reactive and all in the world would be wonderful. Based on the discussions I’ve had with these students and others, we missed and we missed badly. Not only are students not finding work easily, they hear a negative outlook on the future of work, at a time when the reality is we have positions to fill in this country and companies complain the right talent is not available. For smart people, we are not solving this problem very effectively.

Why don’t companies build relationships with talent ahead of demand?

Resources are at a premium and few companies understand the value of searching out talent ahead of need and establishing a relationship of value. In the descriptions here every company that does business in Latin America should know every merit scholar studying Latin American studies and Economics at major universities in the US and around the world. They should have already established a relationship and begun a nurturing process for future need. There are not that many and it is not that difficult. Same can be said for the Aeronautic Engineering major but rather than reach out it appears companies and students sit back, use the Internet and wait.

Students and companies alike must think about standing out in the market by doing things differently than everyone else:

Network to establish personal relationships
Students – look to Glassdoor to understand how employees think of their employer
Companies – look to Glassdoor to see how employees think of you
For both – be different by thinking and acting strategic in your search for work or talent

We as students, employees and companies must do a better job of career relationship, transition and transaction. It is past time to get this right.

How New Grads & Companies Should Find One Another is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Set a career goal: Good chance you have one in place already, but I get surprised daily talking to people at all levels of the workforce who, when asked the question, have no idea. They are floating, blown by the winds of others and with no sight on controlling their career future. After what some people have been through (or are still going through) it’s tough to blame one for being gun shy when asked to control their career, but it is still done and most important be done by you. So step up and set a career goal. One that is achievable but is also a stretch.

Commit to what must be accomplished at work: Now it gets a little easier or scarier, whatever your case may be, so write down the things that must be down in order to accomplish the goal. Don’t know? No problem, talk to a supervisor, HR or the President of the company. Let someone know what you are planning to achieve and ask what needs to be done. If you don’t get a clear answer, keep asking. At some point you will find out what you need to do and have likely let those who need to know what your plans are. Now it’s time to step up and just do it.

Decide “5 things to learn this year”that will move your career forward. As you let others know your plans and you ask what needs to be done, you will find out areas of deficiency that need to be addressed. These could include technical skills, business acumen and even a few personal skills. Find out where and how to improve your technical, business and personal skills through books, online learning or local community colleges.

Personal changes: These can be tough as we all like to think we’re OK and couldn’t possibly need to change anything about ourselves. But the truth us ‘we are as we are perceived’ and if people say we talk too much or don’t listen well, they didn’t just make it up, that is the way they perceive us. And if we don’t work on personal issues others perceive as negative, our career goal may not be accomplished. And forget all the politically correct mumbo jumbo about how we all need to be accepted for who we are BS…this is a business and if you want to succeed in the environment understand the personal changes you may need to make. If you don’t like the changes suggested, you are always free to take your skills elsewhere.

Choose an incentive to reward yourself with once accomplished:You gotta love goals and the rewards for achieving, so do the same here. Think of something you love, don’t do often because of the time or money commitment required and set out to give yourself that one treasure when you achieve your career goal. Rent a classic car for a day, spend a weekend at a nice hotel, buy that technology gadget you’ve been wanting. Know that when you think about the payoff you are reminded of setting a career goal and that you were willing to work to accomplish.

There are plenty of needs for great talent in the market and frankly will continue to be because business and education is not well aligned on preparing talent with the right skills needed in today’s workplace. Taking that into consideration, the individual who makes it a priority to pursue career goals and is willing to do what is needed to accomplish will go a long way for a long time.

5 New Year Career Resolutions is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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The Wall Street Journal recently reported Teaching Ventures Catch the Programming Wave, which describes real and affordable opportunities for people interested in learning how to code and program, a hiring need that exists today that is not being met because we don’t have the trained talent available.

There was a time, 20 – 30 years ago when most of the technical companies in the market trained talent to fill needs. They had to as there were not enough available trained talent. Our technical growth in this country has continued while the costs associated with training have increased as well. Companies stopped training as the costs were high and competitors relied on recruiting trained talent from the companies making the investment. Companies relied on academic institutions to train, an expensive proposition and not a tract that all students were interested in pursuing. For these and other reasons we don’t have enough technical talent available and need more.

Leave it up to entrepreneurs in the private sector to understand a problem of valuable size and develop a solution that makes sense. With our technology and productivity advances, why wouldn’t we have the ability to train more people faster at affordable prices and solve the problem. It appears the answer is finally here and we are on our way!

So, if you are out of work, are interested in changing to a technical career or understand you need new skills as you want to work past traditional retirement age, check out these new online and physical technical training opportunities supported by interesting business models.

Treehouse Island Inc.:  “The service, which starts at $25 a month, teaches online classes in subjects like Web development and building mobile apps. Users rack up virtual badges for completing quizzes and code challenges.” WSJ

Competitor Codecademy:  “The site’s free online exercises have been accessed nearly 30 million times since its August launch.” WSJ

General Assembly:  “A campus for technology, design, and entrepreneurship. We provide educational programming, space, and support to facilitate collaborative practices and learning opportunities across a community inspired by the entrepreneurial experience.” Home

These solutions are exciting and we will see more education solutions in the market in the future. Next up – we need plumbers…

Need Work? Learn To Code is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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And when we say network season, we mean opportunities to establish relationships that can help with careers as well as deeper friendships and we need to make sure we are prepared to take full advantage.

Here are a few points that may help.

Establish an honest and positive way to answer, ‘how are you doing’ or ‘how is work ’for’ friends, family and new faces.

Friends: Guess what friends know a lot about you, they talk to each other, compare notes and hopefully are close enough to you that they are willing to ask for or tell you the truth when needed. So, take the time to write down exactly how you will tell friends when they ask and find a truthful way to highlight the positives about your current situation. For instance, “I’m doing well because…” or “times are tough but I have learned things about my self and improved in areas I never would have encountered if not for the challenge of…” Make your answers concise and practice delivering what you’ve written and deliver with a smile. Follow up by asking how the person asking is doing and make yourself be quiet and listen. Chances are you may learn something that helps your job search. And if your current situation is positively over the top, you want to humble yourself and hold back ‘all; the great news’ as some friends may not be in the same boat. Humility is very important to relationships no matter your position in life, so embrace and practice.

Family: The same from above but with family relationships there is, at times baggage. So we don’t want to cause problems by talking about our own, asking about others or trying to help where our help may not be wanted. Family relationship can be tough but needs to be discussed here because we will spend time with family this season and can learn information about people or companies that can lead to fantastic career opportunities. How do we accomplish? We ask how others are doing. We listen, carefully. And when asked, we discuss our situation concisely and positively.

New Faces: Establishing new relationships can be our greatest opportunity to learn information that can lead to new or greater work. Please remember to use the 80/20 rule. Spend 80% of the discussion time asking and listening, 20% of the time talking about your self. You lose the chance to establish a new opportunity if you talk too much about your current situation and know that new people appreciate being listened to. I know many of you are thinking this suggestion is nuts remembering the Holiday Party where you got cornered by the crazy person with the greatest business idea in the world but somehow you just couldn’t appreciate the value proposition of medicinal dandelion tea for a global market. OK, getting cornered during ‘The Season’ happens and if you don’t know how to graciously get out, please Google Miss Manners.

Many of you start social gatherings next week – Tis the Season! Prepare to network well and who knows that long conversation with the Uncle at the dinner table, the friend in the living room or the new acquaintance on the porch may lead to a new job, career or promotion.

‘Tis The Season To Network is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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I frowned at such a broad blanket statement and he agreed that it’s not true of every new grad, but that overall he has seen a shift, a decline in the willingness to roll up the sleeves and work. Interestingly, he blames me, or at least my generation of Baby Boomers, the MeGen that spent the last 30 years pursuing the easiest paths to success. And for better or worse, we succeeded.

We had a good time and thought we were doing right by pursuing success through a ‘whatever it takes’ approach, but the outcome is not so good for our current economic situation and worse for what we have taught or not taught the next generation.

Focusing on new grads, the executive explained that it is not surprising when a new grad in need of work interviews with demands concerning work hours, limited travel and holidays. Of course this can’t be you as you read this, but you may know someone who fits the description and they are giving a large group a bad name. In order to climb out of our current economic mess, a number of things need to happen, but maybe the most important is that as a society we get back to the value of good old hard work. And it needs to become imperative for new college grads.

So if you need to find work, prove you understand and appreciate the value of a hard days work and companies will line up to hire you.

So how to prove the point?

I know a very successful heart surgeon today who took one summer away from medical school in the early 70s to come to west Texas to work cattle. The work was hard and dirty where he literally shoveled sh*t. Today he claims that he learned the value of work that summer and established a foundation that has affected him for the good every working day of his life. Maybe the better your education you should go out of your way to spend a few months doing the dirtiest job. You will learn work value, how to gain respect and the reward of a job – any job well done. No matter what you do, a heart surgeon, a developer or a salesman, the experience will make you a better person and employee. At the very least, you will have a good appreciation for the work you do.

If I were in charge, everyone would spend time learning the value of hard work… manual labor, retail, fast food – don’t care where, I just understand the foundation it builds and, as I have throughout my career, will continue to make understanding hard work through actual experience a prerequisite for hiring.

Can’t find a job doing this kind of work? Don’t have the time? Bull…There is plenty that needs to be done in your town, your neighborhood, your Church or at the local library. Volunteer, no one said you had to be paid to get value out of hard work. The experience and the work references alone will put you ahead of the rest.

Want a job, a career? Learn how to work first!

New Grads – Want A Job? Learn How To Work First is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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There are a few other things you can do that will help, and no, not talking about the value of back stabbing office politics to get ahead, in fact just the opposite.

Relationships Matter.

I’ve blogged a few times here on the importance of R.A.D.A.R. – Relationships established Ahead of Demand that Accelerate talent Results (true for talent and the companies hiring).  The fall season offers ample opportunity to get your RADAR up and go to work. There is football talk, holiday events, business planning meetings on and off site – opportunities to get to know people and to deepen their understanding of you. And the value of these opportunities has little to do with discussing how or when you want to advance your career, at least not directly, These are simply opportunities to deepen relationships, so that you are remembered when discussions about talent needs arise, directly or indirectly. And they will – they always do. It has happened with you, and will again. The question from a peer or recruiter that starts with, ‘Do you know anyone who can…..’. And you want to help, and you do. Establish relationships so others remember you when asked the same question.

Volunteer.

There are so many opportunities through your business, church or community to volunteer to help those in need. It is a chance to meet people who have the same values and desire to help and they do work in positions or situations that can be of value. I volunteer with a group, and weeks, maybe months after meeting and working, I discovered that one of the other volunteers is a Senior VP of HR for a great company. Our discussions have advanced to business, but are grounded in our mutual desire to help others. We have helped each other in our career needs – a very rewarding relationship.

Ideas.

Review the website of the company you work for or have an upcoming interview with and focus on the company’s goals. Align your work area with the goal you can most affect, either by exceeding personal work goals or by an idea that your work group or area can adopt to exceed stated goals. This is all about ideas and the willingness to put ‘well thought out ideas forward’.
We can name the cultures of successful companies that state or require a flow of ideas from their talent. Most executive management folks welcome new thoughts, and putting good ideas forward can help advance your career. Remember, align appropriately and take the time to think your idea through. This focus and planning process will lead to a deeper understanding of your company and industry segment…plus, it can be a lot of fun.

Lastly, and this is a personal note, career advancement can be a focused process for many where doing whatever it takes to move up the next rung or get the next perfect opportunity works extremely well and I approve as long as nothing unethical is used to accomplish said goal and a level of life balance is retained. Maybe the last technique was used first and as a result, the first three suggestions were learned later in the blogger’s career – I’m just sayin’…..

3 Secrets To Career Advancement is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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So let me set this up and hopefully the scenario will align with your experiences or will serve as a reminder in the future when working to get the desired interview for the desired outcome – work. You have seen the posting… “Company ABC still needs a Product Manager” and you feel certain you, at the very least, are a qualified talent to be considered. But you’ve sent your resume / profile into the company’s black resume hole recently, heard nothing, had no luck trying to follow up and will be damned before putting yourself through that process again. You’ve heard good things about the company, know the space and would like to interview for the position. But how to get in the front door?

Find the hiring authority.

Duh….I know you know to do that, but you would be surprised how many people don’t. So look up the company and search until you find a Director or VP of Product Marketing for the company you believe you can help. No, not yet – don’t reach out to connect by trying to convince them you are friends or have worked together in the past. Unless, of course, you are or you have, then by all means knock yourself out. But in case you don’t know and haven’t worked with them, let’s try to find a way to break the ice.

Call.

This is the easy way, but be prepared to leave a message. Write down a short and to the point message, such as: “My name is, I am a product manager for (Company B) and am interested in working for your company. I understand you are looking for a Product Manager and I would like to be considered. Can we talk or can you personally refer me to HR?”

This doesn’t always work, but at least you feel you have accomplished something by leaving a message. Maybe there is another way….

This may be a tad too syrupy, but in this market – go for the gusto. Check out books the hiring authority has read, hobbies, areas of interest, the university he/she graduated from, not-for profit activities and more… Review all and find any way to connect the dots. For instance, I reviewed a contacts profile and discovered he had recently read Confederacy of Dunces, a great book I read years ago. I had to contact this west coast technology leader to let him know that yes, even in Texas, we read books and this was a favorite of mine. I thanked him for motivating me to take it off the shelf to re-read. His response, “No problem, BTW – what do you do?” The conversation took a whole new direction. We ended up helping each other in business. and please know my intent was really thanking the guy for reminding me of a great book – that was it, and in the process…. Well, you get my drift.

Call anyone the hiring authority has recommended.

Think of the conversation:

“John”

“Yes”

“John, I see you have been given a glowing recommendation by Mr. Hiring Authority’

“Yes”

“Congratulations! I understand he doesn’t share recommendations lightly, so you must have done a fantastic job with him.”

“Sure…what do you want?”

“I could use your help. I am very interested in working with Mr. Hiring Authority and see he currently needs someone with my skills. I am trying to get to him directly – have been caught up in HR before and wondered if you could help me out?”

“Tell me what you do”

OK, so pursuing an interview with one has just turned into an interview with another – not bad. And hopefully you will still get help with your first request…if you need it.

Networking is the name of the game and the tools available like LinkedIn to provide insight can make the process easy and fun. So, treat your search like an adventure, a game – do some research, make some calls and have a good time networking to the person you need…the decision maker.

3 Steps To Network Your Way Into An Interview is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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Here are three ways to find your next challenge by NOT LOOKING!

Stop Fretting – Calm Down.

When we need work, when we want that position or raise, many times we start fretting wondering when IT will happen, questioning if we are doing or saying the right thing to the right person, etc. The world of jobs, finding and securing, can be like a jungle full of wild animals and those animals all have unique predatory and safety instincts.  When people ‘sense’ you have a need and are anywhere close to desperate, they react by hiding, evading or by taking advantage. You know what I am talking about because most of us have been there either as a worker/candidate in need, or as one who has sensed the same in a co-worker or friend. Take a deep breath. List all your positive attributes and the goal you wish to achieve…whatever it takes, stop fretting and calm down.

Stop Using I.

When we have a need, we have a tendency to focus on ourselves and why not – it is a jungle out there and this is survival. But know that when we open our mouths and start describing situations or experiences with “I” or “Me,” we stop listening to others – and guess what? – many times they stop listening to. Think about people you know who talk about themselves, as soon as you hear “I,” that little voice in your head goes off – “Oh no, here we go again” – and you stop listening. We want people to listen to engage, and we accomplish this by listening to them first, by asking questions and by showing sincere interest. The good book says ‘ do unto others as you would have them do to you’ – fantastic advice. Get rid of “I,” stop talking about yourself and start asking questions… start learning. You will be amazed at how many people will end the conversation – after being listened to – with, “Is there anything I can do for you?” which gives you the opportunity to answer with “Well, as a matter of fact…..”

Just Stop Looking.

Well, at least all the time. Give yourself the time and opportunity to explore your world. Admit it, serendipity is a driving force in opportunity. Call it luck, divine intervention, whatever you want, but too many people will tell you that their career move came down to being in the right place at the right time, and not always in a work environment. Should we do the work to find work, or increase our position? Absolutely. Should we give ourselves time to stop looking, experience our world and take what comes our way? Absolutely. If you hear a conversation of interest at the coffee shop, enter in, question and listen. If you see something of interest, like, maybe an art show, the architecture of a building, a not-for-profit doing good work – stop looking and go see or get involved. You never know what you will learn, who you will meet or what opportunity may be waiting around the corner as a result.

Finding, sometimes, requires… we stop looking.

3 Tips To Find A New Job By… Not Looking is a post from: Glassdoor Blog

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