Posted on Thu, Aug 05, 2010
What’s the difference between Job Hunting and Internet Surfing?
A Hunter’s Survival Guide - Part 6
Everyone looks back fondly on the days of writing book reports, and term papers, right? No? What about doing a very public introduction of themselves along with a sales pitch in 250 words or less? Not something you are itching to do either? Yet as part of the job seeking process you are asked to write a unique cover letter for each position you apply for which when you think about it is really a book report, introduction and sales pitch wrapped into as few words as possible. They can be a pain.
However, I would count creating a cover letter for each job as my number one job hunting tip. Period. If the job description asks for a cover letter and you don’t send one in, you might as well have not applied. If you send a cover letter that is so generic it could be used for every job you applied for, ditto, you might as well have not applied.
A cover letter is your one chance to sell yourself and set yourself apart from the 200+ people who will apply for the same job. They can be hard to write well, but once you find a good formula, you are set.
A note on online applications: With more and more applications getting filtered through an online portal, it’s sometimes hard to figure out where the cover letter goes. Some will let you upload multiple documents; others want you to paste it in. Don’t waste the opportunity, create the cover letter and get it in there. If you can only upload one document, combine your cover letter and resume.
Here are my tips for cover letter success:
- Keep it to one page – I want to learn about you, but save something for the interview.
- Provide a little more detail on some of your resume bullets – but don’t just copy and paste. Give me something new in your cover letter that I wouldn’t see right away from your resume.
- Relate your past experience to the job you are applying for. Make the connection between the job description, cover letter and then resume. I know that the job requires project management experience, and I see that title on your resume, but give the hiring manager a little more. Make the connection for them.
- Use bullets. Three to four bullets about some specific things you have done and how they relate to the current opening makes it clear that you have done your homework, and will draw a hiring manager into the resume.
It may take longer to write a cover letter with each application, but imagine if you went fishing and sent 10 hooks over the side with no bait – not much comes back. With a cover letter, it may take you as much time to send out 10 applications as it takes to do one, but the one with bait is much more likely to come back with something promising.
For more on Cover Letters, check here:
Creating Your Cover Letter
Don't just plead and harp -- make your cover letter count
Cover Letter Tips
Cover Letter Resources for Job-Seekers
About the author: Kristine Dunn is part of MassBayODLG
Posted on Thu, Jul 22, 2010
What’s the difference between Job Hunting and Internet Surfing?
A Hunter’s Survival Guide - Part 5
Most often people think of informational interviews when they are looking for a new job, but really, they can be a great tool at any point in your career.
For years people told me “just call someone and see if they will see you for a few minutes, it’s a great way to network for a position with an organization.” Recently, I bit the bullet and went on my first informational interview. In the past I didn’t take advantage of informational interviews because I wasn’t sure how to schedule it, what questions to ask, or what to do on the interview. But, when I met someone who was a potential employer and they asked if I would like to stop by their office I jumped at the chance. Here’s how I made it easy.
Make a Connection
I haven’t met someone who loves to cold call an organization. Yet, that’s what is often suggested as the first step in setting up an informational interview. Find an organization, give them a ring, find the right person and meet. If that’s for you, go for it! What are you waiting for?
If it isn’t, try something a little different – network into the informational interview. If you know someone who works for a firm you are trying to learn more about, ask them to set you up with someone. Or, see if that person will give you 30 minutes to ask questions.
Try this – the next time you are chatting with someone at a networking event and they have a background you would like to hear more about ask them:
I’d love to hear more about how you got into your current work. Do you think that I could meet with you next week to talk a little about your work history, what got you into the field and what you might recommend for my own career path?
Or
I’ve been reading a lot about your organization over the last few months. I’m impressed with the project you have just completed/work you have been doing with that client. Would you mind if I stopped in to talk more about the work that your firm does?
Get the Meeting Right
Even though you are just coming in to chat for 30 minutes, and it isn’t about a particular role, this is still an interview. Dress your best, show up a few minutes early, and be prepared. Unlike a job interview where you get asked questions, this is your turn to drive the conversation. So plan ahead and come with a long list of questions. Some of my personal favorites are:
- Why do your customers choose this company? What is your competitive advantage?
- If you had it to do all over again are there opportunities you would have been on the lookout for or other things you would have tried?
- What were the keys to your own professional advancement?
- What do you see as the future of the OD field?
For some other good questions, take a look at:
Informational Interview Questions
Questions to Ask at the Informational Interview
Informational Interview Questions to Ask
Once the interview is over, send a thank you note and remember to follow up. You might not have a job with them today, but the goal is to develop a deeper professional relationship that you could call upon down the road.
Good luck and let us know how your informational interviews go!
About the author: Kristine Dunn is part of MassBayODLG
Posted on Mon, Jul 19, 2010
Is social media a fad? Is it just a new marketing channel? Is it potentially the biggest shift since the industrial revolution? Many of the questions bubbling up present themselves in the form of questioning the reality and validity of social media’s role in business. These questions are often arising as a pushback against additional activities and workload from time starved colleagues.
Even the definition of Social Media is loosely defined and often defined in terms of our experience and expectation. At its core, Social Media has come to embody relational tools and methodologies to create connections around content. Underlying this is the desire to unveil both knowledge and wisdom, to participate and demonstrate creative expression, and to have “my voice” heard. Is this real?
Andreas Weigend's article in the May 20, 2009 Harvard Business Review revealed, “In 2009, more data will be generated by individuals than in the entire history of mankind through 2008. Information overload is more serious than ever.” Many believe 2010 will eclipse 2009.
All of us have and are experiencing the effects of this. Our web search is no longer information from data sources as we are now filtering information from many sources. We have the opportunity to move beyond information and tap into truth or information that has been tested and found true. We are able to tap into other’s experiences and hence the bar has been raised from information to truth.
In the process of connecting with peoples experience we discover pockets of wisdom, of shared interests, shared challenges and are now able to establish permission based relationships.
Our collective raised expectations are adding to this shift:
- the development of web enabled collaboration tools (web 2.0) are experiencing wide spread acceptance and growth and with that web dynamics and social dynamics are merging; fueling acceleration and multiplication of tools, technologies, platforms, services, etc.(web 3.0 – 4.0)
- these tools and services are changing the landscape of interactions and relationships in such a way as to change culture and not just business culture but have a rippling effect into all areas of culture
I would offer we are at the cusp of a cultural revolution and that we as leaders need to (quickly) learn to surf or be swept out to sea by this tsunami. This raises the bar internally as well. As OD practitioners we have to face the struggles and conflicts of the experimentation of and with various forms, platforms and tools.
The question we started with: Is this real? Is not the question we have our eyes on. The questions we are forming are strategic leadership questions which have the potential to drive our organizations into transformation and culture change.
In next week’s commentary we can examine more of the social trends and implications that will help us form the guiding questions that will move us forward. In this context, the leadership challenges are brought into a light that brings further clarity to the points above.
Until then; thank you.
About the author: Stephen Cummings is part of MassBayODLG
Posted on Thu, Jul 15, 2010
Does social media have a place in business or is it a fad?
What should I learn about social media that is not a waste of time or might actually help me?
Should I find time for social media, does it acutally have anything to do with organizational development (organization development)?
A healthy work environment includes:
- Involvement,
- Communication,
- Listening, and
- Collaboration
Seems like a short list any organization develompent (OD) practitioner needs for successful interventions.
This is not a blog about strategically adding social media to your work or to your company, it is a look at striking similarities between social media and what we do in OD.
What does OD and social media have to do with each other? Surprisingly, an awful lot, like: involvement, communication, listening, and collaboration.
If OD and social media have these in common, should a profession that relies on involvement, embrace social media?
In a profession that requires such deep communication, should embrace social media's ability to draw in dialogue?
In a profession so reliant on listening and taking the pulse of an organization, find social media a great way to check progress and monitor change?
In a profession where collaboration is vital to understanding is there suspicion that social media is someone's hidden agenda or coercion?
I worked for a decade [the 90s] in marketing, but for the past 10 years I've been an OD consultant and working on organization transformation, learning, leadership development, and strategic planning.
In 2007 I came upon social media with a marketing mindset, whoa, things had changed. Instead of interruption or command and control marketing, social media [or Marketing 2.0] looked to contribute and collaborate.
The first rule in communication is, "know your audience". So why communicate at your audience and not with your audience?
Some things that tie the two:
Social media is about people and about interaction.
"Social media is an online imitation of the interactions that people have offline.
To learn more about social media, learn more and study well how people interact offline in regards to the need your product provides a solution for.
The more you examine and participate in offline communication, the more clearly you will be able to understand how to leverage social interaction and social media for your product or service."
Social media is about people.
Employee-Powered Change
"Unlike past technology shifts, this one isn’t being led by IT departments, but by individual employees like you and me and our need for meaningful and simple collaboration tools. With new enterprise social tools, we can harness the power of real-time social networking to rebuild the workplace and create a collaborative forum where we can be inspired by real-time engagement, real-time innovation, and the strengthening of our workplace communities. It’s a daunting challenge, but an exciting, much-needed one."
Every OD professional relies on communication and usually a change management communication plan as a critical copmonent for any intervention or transformation to succeed.
Social media is about collaboration.
Open Source Social Media: Community, Collaboration, Freedom
"...social media is about the basic human right to communicate, organize, and maintain control of one's own experiences. And both address the needs of companies to do more at higher quality with less money. Both social media and open-source software involve communities and are fed by content: code in the case of open source, and media content in the case of social media.
Whoever tries to control people's relationships will lose. Whoever enables people to create and share experiences that are relevant to them across any website, with anyone, the way they want will win.
Marketing communications has a natural affinity to effective change; after all marketing hopes to motivate action and change management, or OD, hopes to motivate action as well.
The aptly named Influential Marketing Blog's 5 Types of Consumer Generated Marketing Campaigns takes a look at the best user-generated [social media] campaigns across the following categories:
- What's your version of ... ?
- What if you were ... ?
- Submit your creative idea for ...
- Tell us ... and you could win
- Get funded to change the world
Each one of those questions could easily find itself a part of every OD practitioner's facilitation toolkit for involvment and change. We all know that picturing yourself as part of the future-state is one of the sure fire ways to build commitment, understanding, and ownerhip. Heck, imagine an organization change or development project without some variant of these and I'd expect a very high likliehood of failure.
Take a new look at how social media has prepared us for collaborative business and think again on what social media and OD do have in common.
I invite the opportunity to revisit social media to look at what social media affords collaboration. This for us, as OD professionals, becomes an even more powerful organization transformation tool.
About the author: Toby Elwin is part of MassBayODLG
Posted on Mon, Jul 12, 2010
What’s the difference between Job Hunting and Internet Surfing?
A Hunter’s Survival Guide - Part 4
If you've pulled out all the stops in your job search, it's likely you have been trying to attend a job fair in your local community. But it is pretty daunting. You are in a small room with lots and lots of other candidates, all trying to make an impression with the recruiter. So why not plan ahead to set yourself apart when you head to your next job fair? The extra time you take up front might just lead to a great first round interview a few weeks later.
Review the Company List. Don’t just look through the list trying to find the company that you think will pay the most. I would always recommend that you really research each company coming to the fair and plan ahead to see if that organization is hiring anyone with your experience. If they aren’t looking for someone with your Organization Development background, then maybe you can skip that table. Or, maybe you want to still drop off a resume, but then you better be able to tell that recruiter why they need to keep your resume on file for that one position that they might have open a year from now. Be strategic when you are planning your stops.
Create a unique resume for each opening you see. It takes a ton of time and lots of paper, but you should take the time to customize your resume to the job you are applying for – just like if you were applying online. You are making an impression right now! Be prepared and it will show to the recruiter at the desk.
Decide if you should go. Did you review all 50 companies going to the job fair next week and only see one job for you? Maybe you are better off saving that 6 hours to go down to the convention center, stand in line, stand in line at the desk, and then get 3 minutes or less with a recruiter. Do you know another way to reach that organization that might be more time effective? I think about my time as if I were paying my salary – should I spend the money on myself to go and do this? Is my time better spent on a more promising area of my job search?
Have you been to a job fair here in Boston? Any job fairs that you have found particularly good? What are some of the tips that have been helpful to you as you attend job fairs in the area?
For other tips on hitting a local job fair, I’ve found these resources helpful:
Job Fair Success
Top 10 Tips for Attending a Job Fair
About the author: Kristine Dunn is part of MassBayODLG
About the author: Kristine Dunn is part of MassBayODLG
Posted on Thu, Jun 24, 2010
What's the difference between Job Hunting and Internet Surfing?
A Hunter's Survival Guide -Part 3
No matter how or why you are looking for a new job, the number one indicator that you are doing your job search correctly is that it feels like you have a full time job. Looking for work is your new number one priority above everything else. So if you are out of work, you are waking up at 7, and working until 5, or if you are currently employed, your evenings and weekends are filled with resume writing and cover letters. I know, you already know.
But, have you ever talked about ways to spice up that day job of yours? Just like in your regular role, doing the same task every day with little result can make you feel pretty frustrated. So, here are a few tips to keep the job search fresh:
- Seek out a new networking group. For example, the Boston Public Library holds a job seekers forum once a month on Wednesday that might give you some new ideas. You will get to meet some new people, exchange stories, and you never know, find a new lead.
Find a networking event in your neighborhood:
Dorchester - next meeting on July 2, 2010
Boston - next meeting on July 7, 2010
- Reward yourself. If you set a goal to have 10 resumes and cover letters out the door each week, then when you get to #10 on Thursday spend part of Friday rewarding yourself. It's the summer time so there are a number of free things to do, so don't let cost be your barrier. Go see a free movie on Friday on the Esplanade. Wander through one of the many festivals downtown this time of year and do some people watching. Or, if you are downtown at the Boston Public Library, stop by for a free concert on Friday afternoons. Getting out of the house and out behind the computer will help you keep your sanity.
- Keep learning. If you are out of work, spend a couple of hours a month taking some free webinars to stay up to date on the industry. A few of my favorite organizations who offer free programs are:
AMA Webinars
Corporate University Webinars
Elluminate Webinars
Training Magazine Webinars
- Look outside of OD. Attend a networking event not in Organization Development. I know, this sounds crazy. But, we work with all kinds of organizations. Why not attend an event for an industry you have worked for in the past, or would like to work for down the road? You might make a great contact that could provide you a referral.
Generally speaking, keeping the job hunting process fresh is going to help keep the momentum going. What tricks have you tried to keep your sanity while trying to find new work?
About the author: Kristine Dunn is part of MassBayODLG
Posted on Thu, Jun 17, 2010
What's the difference between Job Hunting and Internet Surfing?
A Hunter’s Survival Guide - Part 2
Has someone recently suggested that the best way to get a job is to go out and network? It sounds like an easy and pretty obvious suggestion, but when it comes time to put on the tie, it can be more intimidating than it needs to. We’ve all seen the people at a networking event that can work the room effortlessly. While that might be their natural inclination, all of us can take little steps to get better at this critical job hunting strategy. So, be smart or, be S-M-A-R-T, when you search by following these easy steps:
S
Stay: Go to Networking Events by Yourself
This may seem more intimidating in the short term, but in the long run you will be glad not to have a crutch that you can leave after 30 minutes with. Arrive 15 to 20 minutes after the event has started (if appropriate for the format) so you aren’t standing around by yourself waiting for others to get there. When you check in, tell the front desk attendant that this is your first event with the group, or you are looking to meet other members. Often times the volunteers at the desk are there to do the same thing – it is a networking event after all – and they may even be on the board of the organization. They won’t be at the desk all night, so you can always stop by and chat with them later on that evening.
M
Make: Bring Business Cards
If you don’t have a job where they give you business cards, spend the $20 at Kinkos to get some professional cards made or get free business cards from VistaPrint. You can include your personal contact information and a short sentence about who you are helping a person you do chat with remember your skills – or learn more about you.
A
Appearance: Polish Up
We all stand a little taller, smile a little bigger, and are just a little bit more professional when we have a suit on. Pay attention to how you look. If you don’t have a suit, or it wouldn’t be appropriate to wear one to an event – just ironing your shirt and pants before you leave can give you a little edge. Wear professional shoes, even if it means you bring a pair to change into. Your pinstripe pants are not enhanced by your running shoes. Make your best first impression.
R
Read: the Entire Sunday Newspaper before the Event
Networking for a job often starts as an entirely different conversation. Maybe the networking event is next to the construction site downtown where that weekend the Business Section commented how behind the developer is – bring it up! Maybe the person you can’t seem to make good conversation with about work is a huge sports fan. Even if you aren’t a big football or hockey fan, you should be a little clued in to what is going on in the larger world so you can have conversation – or at least ask some good questions. From the arts, to local news, you never know where the person you are standing next to might land. Be open to a discussion that might not seem about work, but really is just about getting to know you.
T
Tact: Get Some
Can you imagine if every person you ever talked to asked you to marry them? Well, when you approach a person working for a company and start the conversation by saying “Do you have any jobs open? I’m the perfect fit.” Or “I’ve applied to several jobs on your website and haven’t heard anything back.” The right time to ask about job openings isn’t your opening line. Take the time to get to know a person and then approach them about something you saw online. Now, if you are at a job fair, or a specific “find a job” networking event, have at it. But remember, your first impression is a lasting one, so make it something to be proud of.
Three additional networking links:
- How To… Network
- Making the Most of LinkedIn
- Flex Your Networking Skills
About the author: Kristine Dunn is part of MassBayODLG
Posted on Tue, Jun 08, 2010
A Hunter's Survival Guide - Part 1
If you are out looking for work, you know you aren't alone. There are hundreds of OD Practitioners and Consultants looking for work in the Greater Boston Area. So, are you still surfing the internet looking for work, or are you really on the hunt? Here are a few success stories from my own experience, as well as additional suggestions from others in Organization Development. I'll add additional stories as we go through the summer, so check back and update us as you try things out.
Volunteer with your local professional association, like MassBayODLG!
Have you been to a number of networking events but not finding yourself making meaningful connections? Consider signing up to volunteer with a local professional association like MassBayODLG where you can create some deeper relationships and really get to know the other professionals active in your community. It can help with references or just getting to know other people in the community down the road. You are volunteering in your own field - an area where you are likely already passionate.
And you have the added opportunity to pick up new skills while working with a professional group. Maybe you have some experience redesigning evaluation materials. Or, you could become an expert at social media marketing. Perhaps you really like organizing events and you don't often get the chance to put those skills to use. Or maybe you have always wanted to learn how to redesign a website. All professional associations need help, and you could be just the person they have been looking for. Think of this as the opportunity to finally get to pick the projects you get to work on!
You may even get a mentor out of your volunteering experience. I know a number of people who have developed lifelong professional relationships from a volunteer experience. Consider that this might be a great chance to interact with someone who you wouldn't normally meet at a networking event based on their schedule or location.
Really, you never know until you try. So give it a shot today!
About the author: Kristine Dunn is part of the MassBayODLG
Posted on Wed, May 26, 2010
The upcoming June class on Positive Deviance with Randa Wilkinson has really got me thinking. I've been lucky to work with a number of people over the years who just know how to get it done. Those lucky few people who work for an organization where they make a positive impact by taking a problem, breaking it down and finding a solution faster than their peers - they make it look so easy! They have been the Positive Deviance for that particular group.
But what is it about these high performers that makes them special?
How can I help the rest of my team perform at that same level?
These are the questions that I've found myself asking as I prepare for the June MassBayODLG event.
Positive Deviance and the Everyday
I've been trying to incorporate Positive Deviance research into my own management practices by:
Process
Identity the special skills that the high performer on the team is demonstrating. Do they move through a database more quickly because they have a better understanding of how the system behaves? Can they teach this to the group? Or maybe they have a habit of getting to the office a little early which helps them respond to emails, freeing them up during the day to be collaborative with their peers or task focused. Those are the items that I try to reinforce with a larger team when it seems that there is someone performing at a high level.
Attitudes
Right, I know. How do you encourage someone to be motivated and have a productive attitude? Well, I look at it from what makes that worker happy. What tasks are they best situated to do? Where do they have a natural positive deviance that I can take advantage of? Let's say that I'm working with someone who can't seem to get stuff done, but they are great at building relationships and can talk anyone into helping us. I'm moving that person away from task focused activities and giving them to the team member who loves to check things off of his list and move to the next item, allowing the other team member to attend meetings and be the spokesperson for the team.
Behaviors
If you don't understand the process, don't have a good attitude than your behaviors are going to suffer. Have the team identify their role models either at work or other places - what behaviors are they demonstrating and how can you encourage the team to start doing the same? I try to be open with a group about what is working and what isn't - it is the only way to learn.
These are a few of my reflections, but certainly not the only way to approach Positive Deviance. I'm looking forward to hearing Randa Wilkinson talk about this fascinating topic. What are you looking forward to learning more about?
Positive Deviance in developing countries from the Boston Globe
About the author: Kristine Dunn is part of the MassBayODLG
Posted on Mon, May 10, 2010
Without an understanding of how your project impacts either sales or finance, you have very little justification for budget. You have to make a case for your salary or contract and it is easier to get either if you can trace directly to sales or to profit. Because without a pet project you're either in or you're out.
There are really only 3 swim lanes in business: sales, finance, and human resources. All jobs fall within only these 3 swim lanes, or functional areas. Unfortunately, only 2 of those 3 functions are considered business drivers: finance and sales. The 3rd, human resources, a support function, a compliance function, and a cost center.
You can't have a business without sales and you can't stay in business with financial acuity.
Just look at some job categories and the reality of where they align:
- marketing < sales
- accounting < finance
- operations < finance
- IT (internal processes) < finance
- IT (market data) < sales
- public relations < sales
- supply chain < finance
Sales gets the dollar and finance maximizes the profit margin of each dollar and until human resources ups their stake in the game human resources is largely relegated to support, compliance, and supply.
All the talent management, learning and development, organization behavior, human resource business partner, recruiter, chief human capital officer, chief diversity office, chief learning office, human resource generalist, and organization development cabal; we are in a war for limited attention, limited resources, and limited involvement until we make the clear case that we (you) do drive sales results or that you (we) do drive financial performance.
It's your job to make a valid case, each and every day, on how talent drives business results; strategic recruiting is a direct link to sales; and that motivation drives financial performance. If you can't make the case you are not business partners. Worse, we don't deserve a seat at the business table and will never be invited to the business discussion.
I don't have a prescription, but I know the only way to be a business partner is to understand finance and understand that when human resources does not contribute to sales it's just a cost center.
Time for human resources to know that their place: either driving sales or compliance and transaction. If it is compliance, that is a perfect map to be outsourced and outsourcing, of course, increases margins and that gets us right back to finance...
So, if you want to talk business then learn to talk sales and talk finance; know the industry drivers for each; and frame all your projects, programs, or efforts in maximizing sales and/or maximizing margin.
Human resource ROI is a sexy topic bring up, but without a sales and finance frame it's only putting lipstick on a pig.
Knowing finance is as easy as asking what formulas are used to evaluate projects:
- Net Present Value?
- Present Value?
- Internal Rate of Return?
Whatever the formula do yourself a favor and learn how to calculate your impact, it is rarely more than addition, multiplication, or division, so there is no advanced math to be intimidated with.
Otherwise don't be surprised if the contract or project is canceled.
About the author: Toby Elwin is part of the MassBayODLG, you can find out more about him at his website or on @telwin
For more information on organization development's impact on business, check out last week's MassBayODLG meeting from Julia Geisman: