Steer Clear of Interviewers' Pet Peeves
By Carole Martin, Monster Contributing Writer
You sit facing the interviewer, feeling like things are moving along nicely when all of a sudden the interview takes a drastic turn for the worse. What just happened? You may have hit one of the interviewer's pet peeves, one of those things that automatically triggers a negative response.
Here are seven of the most common peeves provided by experienced interviewers, along with some tips on how to avoid them:
1. Smells: Too Much of a Good Smell Can Be Bad
Pat Riley, author of Secrets of Breaking into Pharmaceutical Sales, has a pet peeve story to relate: "Preparing for an interview is not like preparing for a date. I had one interview with a woman who doused herself with perfume (the same perfume my ex-girlfriend used to wear) right before stepping into the small interview booth. The perfume was overpowering and brought back bad memories."
2. Communication: Too Little Leaves Interviewers Exasperated
"My No. 1 interviewing pet peeve is an applicant who won't talk,” says Steve Jones, a manager of client services at a software company in Dallas. “I try to ask open-ended questions and prod them for longer answers, but no luck. I've even mentioned to a few that I need more information so I can get an idea of where they're coming from -- still no luck. I always end the interview saying, ‘Now it's your turn to ask questions,' and still no luck. They don't have any. Oh well -- next!"”
Jones advises job seekers to come prepared to answer questions and talk about yourself.
3. Communication: Too Much Can Be Too Much
"Candidates who ramble are the ones who get to me," says Dotti Bousquet of Resource Group Staffing in West Hartford, Connecticut. “I was interviewing a candidate and asked her one question. The candidate talked and talked and talked for 45 minutes straight. I was unable to stop her. I had to say, ‘Let's wrap this up,' and I stood up while she continued to talk. I walked to the door of the office and opened it. She left, but continued to talk while walking out the door."
The lesson? “Candidates should stay focused, and answer the question asked -- in less than two to three minutes," advises Bousquet.
4. Lack of Focus: Results in Losing the Interviewer
"Typically, candidates are simply too intimidated by the process," says Mark Fulop, project director for a large nonprofit agency. "Relating the answer given to one question back with another -- and asking clarifying or follow-up questions -- shows me that the candidate is confident and thinking about the whole picture instead of enduring an interrogation.
5. Averting Your Eyes: One Way to Avert an Offer
Incorrect nonverbal communication is a turnoff for many interviewers. People who do not make any eye contact during the entire interview irritate Gwen Sobiech, an agency recruiter in West Hartford, Connecticut. “I realize some people are shy, but to never look at me once -- they look down, around, everywhere -- but not at me for the entire interview," she says. "I find that extremely annoying. I also tend to distrust someone who will not look at me when I've asked a question."
If you are uncomfortable looking into someone's eyes, look at his third eye, just above and between the person's two eyes.
6. Slang and Street Speak: Leave Them on the Street
"Poor communications skills really get to me," says Robert Fodge of Power Brokers in Dover, Delaware. "What I mean by this is not merely their language fluency, but more about the use of language. Slang words and street speak just don't have a place in most business environments. Also, candidates who say 'um,' 'like' and 'uh' between every other word lose my attention very quickly."
7. Deception: Little Lies Leave a Big Impression
One major complaint among recruiters is when a candidate is not completely truthful; small lies are all too common in the world of recruitment. This includes not being completely forthcoming with relevant information, embellishing accomplishments, hiding jobs or leading the process on with no intention of ever following through. Building trust during the interview is key to getting an offer.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Remembering Steve Jobs
Three weeks ago, I wrote a post about the top ten lessons Steve Jobs could teach us.
I had a feeling – like I suspect many others – that he only had a few more days with us on this Earth.
He’s irreplaceable. We’ll never see anyone else like him. Edison, Einstein, Henry Ford… he has left an indelible mark on our society in the last 35 years and for many more to come.
Yet, despite his greatness, he also taught us that he’s just a man. He got up every day, like you and me. He kissed his family goodbye and he threw his heart and soul into his work – his passion — just like we can.
We all can be great. If we try, we’ll honor him.
Here are the Top Ten Lessons Steve Jobs taught us:
1. The most enduring innovations marry art and science – Steve has always pointed out that the biggest difference between Apple and all the other computer (and post-PC) companies through history is that Apple always tried to marry art and science. Jobs pointed out the original team working on the Mac had backgrounds in anthropology, art, history, and poetry. That’s always been important in making Apple’s products stand out. It’s the difference between the iPad and every other tablet computer that came before it or since. It is the look and feel of a product. It is its soul. But it is such a difficult thing for computer scientists or engineers to see that importance, so any company must have a leader that sees that importance.
2. To create the future, you can’t do it through focus groups – There is a school of thought in management theory that — if you’re in the consumer-facing space building products and services — you’ve got to listen to your customer. Steve Jobs was one of the first businessmen to say that was a waste of time. The customers today don’t always know what they want, especially if it’s something they’ve never seen, heard, or touched before. When it became clear that Apple would come out with a tablet, many were skeptical. When people heard the name (iPad), it was a joke in the Twitter-sphere for a day. But when people held one, and used it, it became a ‘must have.’ They didn’t know how they’d previously lived without one. It became the fastest growing Apple product in its history. Jobs (and the Apple team) trusted himself more than others. Picasso and great artists have done that for centuries. Jobs was the first in business.
3. Never fear failure – Jobs was fired by the successor he picked. It was one of the most public embarrassments of the last 30 years in business. Yet, he didn’t become a venture capitalist never to be heard from again. He didn’t start a production company and do a lot of lunches. He picked himself up and got back to work following his passion. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told he only had a few weeks to live. As Samuel Johnson said, there’s nothing like your impending death to focus the mind. From Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
4. You can’t connect the dots forward – only backward – This is another gem from the 2005 Stanford speech. The idea behind the concept is that, as much as we try to plan our lives ahead in advance, there’s always something that’s completely unpredictable about life. What seems like bitter anguish and defeat in the moment — getting dumped by a girlfriend, not getting that job at McKinsey, “wasting” 4 years of your life on a start-up that didn’t pan out as you wanted — can turn out to sow the seeds of your unimaginable success years from now. You can’t be too attached to how you think your life is supposed to work out and instead trust that all the dots will be connected in the future. This is all part of the plan.
Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
5. Listen to that voice in the back of your head that tells you if you’re on the right track or not – Most of us don’t hear a voice inside our heads. We’ve simply decided that we’re going to work in finance or be a doctor because that’s what our parents told us we should do or because we wanted to make a lot of money. When we consciously or unconsciously make that decision, we snuff out that little voice in our head. From then on, most of us put it on automatic pilot. We mail it in. You have met these people. They’re nice people. But they’re not changing the world. Jobs has always been a restless soul. A man in a hurry. A man with a plan. His plan isn’t for everyone. It was his plan. He wanted to build computers. Some people have a voice that tells them to fight for democracy. Some have one that tells them to become an expert in miniature spoons. When Jobs first saw an example of a Graphical User Interface — a GUI — he knew this was the future of computing and that he had to create it. That became the Macintosh. Whatever your voice is telling you, you would be smart to listen to it. Even if it tells you to quit your job, or move to China, or leave your partner.
6. Expect a lot from yourself and others – We have heard stories of Steve Jobs yelling or dressing down staff. He’s a control freak, we’ve heard – a perfectionist. The bottom line is that he is in touch with his passion and that little voice in the back of his head. He gives a damn. He wants the best from himself and everyone who works for him. If they don’t give a damn, he doesn’t want them around. And yet — he keeps attracting amazing talent around him. Why? Because talent gives a damn too. There’s a saying: if you’re a “B” player, you’ll hire “C” players below you because you don’t want them to look smarter than you. If you’re an “A” player, you’ll hire “A+” players below you, because you want the best result.
7. Don’t care about being right. Care about succeeding – Jobs used this line in an interview after he was fired by Apple. If you have to steal others’ great ideas to make yours better, do it. You can’t be married to your vision of how a product is going to work out, such that you forget about current reality. When the Apple III came out, it was hot and warped its motherboard even though Jobs had insisted it would be quiet and sleek. If Jobs had stuck with Lisa, Apple would have never developed the Mac.
8. Find the most talented people to surround yourself with – There is a misconception that Apple is Steve Jobs. Everyone else in the company is a faceless minion working to please the all-seeing and all-knowing Jobs. In reality, Jobs has surrounded himself with talent: Phil Schiller, Jony Ive, Peter Oppenheimer, Tim Cook, the former head of stores Ron Johnson. These are all super-talented people who don’t get the credit they deserve. The fact that Apple’s stock price has been so strong since Jobs left as CEO is a credit to the strength of the team. Jobs has hired bad managerial talent before. John Sculley ended up firing Jobs and — according to Jobs — almost killing the company. Give credit to Jobs for learning from this mistake and realizing that he can’t do anything without great talent around him.
9. Stay hungry, stay foolish - Again from the end of Jobs’ memorable Stanford speech:
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
10. Anything is possible through hard work, determination, and a sense of vision – Although he’s the greatest CEO ever and the father of the modern computer, at the end of the day, Steve Jobs is just a guy. He’s a husband, a father, a friend — like you and me. We can be just as special as he is — if we learn his lessons and start applying them in our lives. When Jobs returned to Apple in the 1990s, it was was weeks away from bankruptcy. It’s now the biggest company in the world. Anything’s possible in life if you continue to follow the simple lessons laid out above.
May you change the world.
[At the time of publication, Jackson was long AAPL]
I had a feeling – like I suspect many others – that he only had a few more days with us on this Earth.
He’s irreplaceable. We’ll never see anyone else like him. Edison, Einstein, Henry Ford… he has left an indelible mark on our society in the last 35 years and for many more to come.
Yet, despite his greatness, he also taught us that he’s just a man. He got up every day, like you and me. He kissed his family goodbye and he threw his heart and soul into his work – his passion — just like we can.
We all can be great. If we try, we’ll honor him.
Here are the Top Ten Lessons Steve Jobs taught us:
1. The most enduring innovations marry art and science – Steve has always pointed out that the biggest difference between Apple and all the other computer (and post-PC) companies through history is that Apple always tried to marry art and science. Jobs pointed out the original team working on the Mac had backgrounds in anthropology, art, history, and poetry. That’s always been important in making Apple’s products stand out. It’s the difference between the iPad and every other tablet computer that came before it or since. It is the look and feel of a product. It is its soul. But it is such a difficult thing for computer scientists or engineers to see that importance, so any company must have a leader that sees that importance.
2. To create the future, you can’t do it through focus groups – There is a school of thought in management theory that — if you’re in the consumer-facing space building products and services — you’ve got to listen to your customer. Steve Jobs was one of the first businessmen to say that was a waste of time. The customers today don’t always know what they want, especially if it’s something they’ve never seen, heard, or touched before. When it became clear that Apple would come out with a tablet, many were skeptical. When people heard the name (iPad), it was a joke in the Twitter-sphere for a day. But when people held one, and used it, it became a ‘must have.’ They didn’t know how they’d previously lived without one. It became the fastest growing Apple product in its history. Jobs (and the Apple team) trusted himself more than others. Picasso and great artists have done that for centuries. Jobs was the first in business.
3. Never fear failure – Jobs was fired by the successor he picked. It was one of the most public embarrassments of the last 30 years in business. Yet, he didn’t become a venture capitalist never to be heard from again. He didn’t start a production company and do a lot of lunches. He picked himself up and got back to work following his passion. Eight years ago, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and told he only had a few weeks to live. As Samuel Johnson said, there’s nothing like your impending death to focus the mind. From Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech:
No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.
Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
4. You can’t connect the dots forward – only backward – This is another gem from the 2005 Stanford speech. The idea behind the concept is that, as much as we try to plan our lives ahead in advance, there’s always something that’s completely unpredictable about life. What seems like bitter anguish and defeat in the moment — getting dumped by a girlfriend, not getting that job at McKinsey, “wasting” 4 years of your life on a start-up that didn’t pan out as you wanted — can turn out to sow the seeds of your unimaginable success years from now. You can’t be too attached to how you think your life is supposed to work out and instead trust that all the dots will be connected in the future. This is all part of the plan.
Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
5. Listen to that voice in the back of your head that tells you if you’re on the right track or not – Most of us don’t hear a voice inside our heads. We’ve simply decided that we’re going to work in finance or be a doctor because that’s what our parents told us we should do or because we wanted to make a lot of money. When we consciously or unconsciously make that decision, we snuff out that little voice in our head. From then on, most of us put it on automatic pilot. We mail it in. You have met these people. They’re nice people. But they’re not changing the world. Jobs has always been a restless soul. A man in a hurry. A man with a plan. His plan isn’t for everyone. It was his plan. He wanted to build computers. Some people have a voice that tells them to fight for democracy. Some have one that tells them to become an expert in miniature spoons. When Jobs first saw an example of a Graphical User Interface — a GUI — he knew this was the future of computing and that he had to create it. That became the Macintosh. Whatever your voice is telling you, you would be smart to listen to it. Even if it tells you to quit your job, or move to China, or leave your partner.
6. Expect a lot from yourself and others – We have heard stories of Steve Jobs yelling or dressing down staff. He’s a control freak, we’ve heard – a perfectionist. The bottom line is that he is in touch with his passion and that little voice in the back of his head. He gives a damn. He wants the best from himself and everyone who works for him. If they don’t give a damn, he doesn’t want them around. And yet — he keeps attracting amazing talent around him. Why? Because talent gives a damn too. There’s a saying: if you’re a “B” player, you’ll hire “C” players below you because you don’t want them to look smarter than you. If you’re an “A” player, you’ll hire “A+” players below you, because you want the best result.
7. Don’t care about being right. Care about succeeding – Jobs used this line in an interview after he was fired by Apple. If you have to steal others’ great ideas to make yours better, do it. You can’t be married to your vision of how a product is going to work out, such that you forget about current reality. When the Apple III came out, it was hot and warped its motherboard even though Jobs had insisted it would be quiet and sleek. If Jobs had stuck with Lisa, Apple would have never developed the Mac.
8. Find the most talented people to surround yourself with – There is a misconception that Apple is Steve Jobs. Everyone else in the company is a faceless minion working to please the all-seeing and all-knowing Jobs. In reality, Jobs has surrounded himself with talent: Phil Schiller, Jony Ive, Peter Oppenheimer, Tim Cook, the former head of stores Ron Johnson. These are all super-talented people who don’t get the credit they deserve. The fact that Apple’s stock price has been so strong since Jobs left as CEO is a credit to the strength of the team. Jobs has hired bad managerial talent before. John Sculley ended up firing Jobs and — according to Jobs — almost killing the company. Give credit to Jobs for learning from this mistake and realizing that he can’t do anything without great talent around him.
9. Stay hungry, stay foolish - Again from the end of Jobs’ memorable Stanford speech:
When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.
Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.
Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.
10. Anything is possible through hard work, determination, and a sense of vision – Although he’s the greatest CEO ever and the father of the modern computer, at the end of the day, Steve Jobs is just a guy. He’s a husband, a father, a friend — like you and me. We can be just as special as he is — if we learn his lessons and start applying them in our lives. When Jobs returned to Apple in the 1990s, it was was weeks away from bankruptcy. It’s now the biggest company in the world. Anything’s possible in life if you continue to follow the simple lessons laid out above.
May you change the world.
[At the time of publication, Jackson was long AAPL]
Job Seekers: 11 Ways To Stand Out In The Sea Of Competition
Companies report that there are hundreds, if not thousands of candidates for their job postings. More than ever, it's up to you to figure out how to stand out in the crowded sea of competition. You may meet all of the criteria for selection and get overlooked without any thought. Market yourself with information that says, "You can't afford to pass me up!"
The process of searching for jobs is easy enough. You visit job websites, find the jobs you want, send the resume, and you get magically considered for the job. It's simple enough, but your resume goes into an abyss unless you can grab the attention of the company.
But, how do you know that you will be seriously considered for the job? and are you prepared to present yourself in the best light? The answer is also simple: dazzle yourself, and unless you dazzle the reviewer, your candidacy will be ignored.
1. Get to know yourself again.
Before you conduct a job search, take a long, hard look at yourself again. Chances are that your skills have changed. Decide how to impress yourself before you present your skills to prospective employers. Research your field of interest again. Brush up on the competencies of leadership and practice those qualities and become a personal expert. Be prepared to tell employers what you would do to make their job better. Don't forget, creativity is the No. 1 competency employers look for.
2. Conduct your own personal SWOT analysis to market yourself.
To refresh your memory, SWOT stands for your personal strengths and weaknesses, and the outside opportunities and threats.
Make a critical list of your strengths. Don't expect to do this all in one sitting. Really, think this through. What activities do you enjoy? What do you do well? List your accomplishments that make you the most effective. Can you turn these strengths into possibilities for your personal growth? Take your time and you will reach conclusions that will lead you into your next move.
Your weaknesses are just as important. Again, a critical look at your attributes including the negative ones will keep you away from things you are just no good at.
Perhaps finding and weighing the opportunities are the most difficult. With the current job market's limited career choices, think about your horizons and potential creative opportunities from the pool of your chosen strengths. Keep apprised of the industries that are hiring in the chosen area and be aware of the possibility of relocating. If you want to start your own business, invest with your eyes open wide.
Threats to your success are unfortunately abundant, but choose the direction that keeps you from the areas of no return.
3. Employers are checking you out, you need to check them out too.
In an ever-changing workforce don't get caught behind the times. Spend time on prospective employers' websites. Research the current challenges of the field and be prepared to discuss your creative approach to problem solving. Ask them about their goals and priorities for the coming year. They like questions that will lead them to see that you are imaginative and eager to problem solve.
4. Scope out your competition.
Your competition includes the eager, newly degreed, the "overqualified" candidates looking to reposition themselves in the job market, and the trainee who is willing to take less money to get the foot in the door. Employers like fresh, contemporary experience. You can jump on that bandwagon by writing about your fresh knowledge and by practicing the kind of questions you will be asked. Your fresh perspective can come from research. Use the Internet to your advantage. Never forget, knowledge is power. Get ahead of the crowd. Become employed. Months ago, I lamented that employers are refusing to consider job candidates who are not currently employed. This has continued to be a problem for job candidates, but you need to make sure that you are not in the rejection pile. First of all, become employed ... somewhere, somehow. That's easy enough to say, but find a job. Head this barrier off at the pass. It's an all-too-common problem. Find local opportunities for temporary or contract work. Volunteer at a local organization that's in the field your interested in, or at a local charity. It keeps you fresh, not to mention out of the rejection pile.
5. Polish up your references.
Look at the bridges that you have not burned and use them to your advantage. Ask former bosses and colleagues to write a letter that describes your strengths. Send them along with your resume. Refrain from writing "references upon request." Of course you will provide them. But head them off at the pass by being the proactive candidate they can't refuse.
6. Glom onto a former favorite professor of yours.
Believe me, we love it when former students return to visit the classroom and ask for career advice and the latest "buzz" in the business. Listen to mentors to be able to discuss the language of the industry. Familiarize yourself with the latest news in your field. You become the source of knowledge that companies need to stay afloat and thrive. Keep that in mind when you are preparing to market yourself.
7. Make a list of the most memorable learning experiences from your education.
Don't lose those thoughts, ever. Think about how you could apply these pearls of wisdom in your job search and in your career.
8. Write an impressive and custom cover letter.
There is only one of you, but every job has unique expectations. Granted, many employers don't read them, but many do. Look at the selection criteria on the job posting and address each of the qualifications that you have related to the job. Similar to your opening paragraph on your resume, focus on your accomplished, creative projects. What have you done well, what projects have you successfully completed. Don't forget, many employers are looking for new blood and new ideas. Tell them what you have done and what you will do for their organization. Focus on your success and good things will happen.
9. Clean up your Facebook page.
You may ask, what business is my personal Facebook to an employer? They do look and seek you on social media. Many think it's illegal. Let me tell you, it is not illegal and companies do their research to look at your personality. If you have pictures of yourself with a lampshade on your head at a party, assume that prospective employers can see it. Be safe, cleanse your social media!
10. Don't let them see you sweat.
Of course you are concerned about the competition but the more prepared you are, the luckier you become. Practice your confidence by rehearsing expected interview questions. Your confidence will grow with your comfort zone. When you dance, the steps you learn become second nature to you and you can concentrate on polish and flair. The same thing applies to marketing yourself. Learn those steps well.
11. Don't trash your former employer.
Oh, you may want to do just that but refrain from complaining at any cost. Despite the fact that the prospective employer may understand your plight, the job search process is not the time for complaining. You may be negative about your experiences and employment status but don't wallow in it. You need to move on. If you don't, it shows.
One wise recruiter once told me that some of the most successful job candidates circumvent the posting process by contacting the decision-makers directly. Find out who heads up the department that you want to work for and send your resume and cover letter to that person. What do you have to lose? A job opportunity? Who wouldn't want to receive the perfect candidate wrapped up in a bow?
Don't forget: There is life outside of the comfort zone. You actually might like it there and thrive.
The process of searching for jobs is easy enough. You visit job websites, find the jobs you want, send the resume, and you get magically considered for the job. It's simple enough, but your resume goes into an abyss unless you can grab the attention of the company.
But, how do you know that you will be seriously considered for the job? and are you prepared to present yourself in the best light? The answer is also simple: dazzle yourself, and unless you dazzle the reviewer, your candidacy will be ignored.
1. Get to know yourself again.
Before you conduct a job search, take a long, hard look at yourself again. Chances are that your skills have changed. Decide how to impress yourself before you present your skills to prospective employers. Research your field of interest again. Brush up on the competencies of leadership and practice those qualities and become a personal expert. Be prepared to tell employers what you would do to make their job better. Don't forget, creativity is the No. 1 competency employers look for.
2. Conduct your own personal SWOT analysis to market yourself.
To refresh your memory, SWOT stands for your personal strengths and weaknesses, and the outside opportunities and threats.
Make a critical list of your strengths. Don't expect to do this all in one sitting. Really, think this through. What activities do you enjoy? What do you do well? List your accomplishments that make you the most effective. Can you turn these strengths into possibilities for your personal growth? Take your time and you will reach conclusions that will lead you into your next move.
Your weaknesses are just as important. Again, a critical look at your attributes including the negative ones will keep you away from things you are just no good at.
Perhaps finding and weighing the opportunities are the most difficult. With the current job market's limited career choices, think about your horizons and potential creative opportunities from the pool of your chosen strengths. Keep apprised of the industries that are hiring in the chosen area and be aware of the possibility of relocating. If you want to start your own business, invest with your eyes open wide.
Threats to your success are unfortunately abundant, but choose the direction that keeps you from the areas of no return.
3. Employers are checking you out, you need to check them out too.
In an ever-changing workforce don't get caught behind the times. Spend time on prospective employers' websites. Research the current challenges of the field and be prepared to discuss your creative approach to problem solving. Ask them about their goals and priorities for the coming year. They like questions that will lead them to see that you are imaginative and eager to problem solve.
4. Scope out your competition.
Your competition includes the eager, newly degreed, the "overqualified" candidates looking to reposition themselves in the job market, and the trainee who is willing to take less money to get the foot in the door. Employers like fresh, contemporary experience. You can jump on that bandwagon by writing about your fresh knowledge and by practicing the kind of questions you will be asked. Your fresh perspective can come from research. Use the Internet to your advantage. Never forget, knowledge is power. Get ahead of the crowd. Become employed. Months ago, I lamented that employers are refusing to consider job candidates who are not currently employed. This has continued to be a problem for job candidates, but you need to make sure that you are not in the rejection pile. First of all, become employed ... somewhere, somehow. That's easy enough to say, but find a job. Head this barrier off at the pass. It's an all-too-common problem. Find local opportunities for temporary or contract work. Volunteer at a local organization that's in the field your interested in, or at a local charity. It keeps you fresh, not to mention out of the rejection pile.
5. Polish up your references.
Look at the bridges that you have not burned and use them to your advantage. Ask former bosses and colleagues to write a letter that describes your strengths. Send them along with your resume. Refrain from writing "references upon request." Of course you will provide them. But head them off at the pass by being the proactive candidate they can't refuse.
6. Glom onto a former favorite professor of yours.
Believe me, we love it when former students return to visit the classroom and ask for career advice and the latest "buzz" in the business. Listen to mentors to be able to discuss the language of the industry. Familiarize yourself with the latest news in your field. You become the source of knowledge that companies need to stay afloat and thrive. Keep that in mind when you are preparing to market yourself.
7. Make a list of the most memorable learning experiences from your education.
Don't lose those thoughts, ever. Think about how you could apply these pearls of wisdom in your job search and in your career.
8. Write an impressive and custom cover letter.
There is only one of you, but every job has unique expectations. Granted, many employers don't read them, but many do. Look at the selection criteria on the job posting and address each of the qualifications that you have related to the job. Similar to your opening paragraph on your resume, focus on your accomplished, creative projects. What have you done well, what projects have you successfully completed. Don't forget, many employers are looking for new blood and new ideas. Tell them what you have done and what you will do for their organization. Focus on your success and good things will happen.
9. Clean up your Facebook page.
You may ask, what business is my personal Facebook to an employer? They do look and seek you on social media. Many think it's illegal. Let me tell you, it is not illegal and companies do their research to look at your personality. If you have pictures of yourself with a lampshade on your head at a party, assume that prospective employers can see it. Be safe, cleanse your social media!
10. Don't let them see you sweat.
Of course you are concerned about the competition but the more prepared you are, the luckier you become. Practice your confidence by rehearsing expected interview questions. Your confidence will grow with your comfort zone. When you dance, the steps you learn become second nature to you and you can concentrate on polish and flair. The same thing applies to marketing yourself. Learn those steps well.
11. Don't trash your former employer.
Oh, you may want to do just that but refrain from complaining at any cost. Despite the fact that the prospective employer may understand your plight, the job search process is not the time for complaining. You may be negative about your experiences and employment status but don't wallow in it. You need to move on. If you don't, it shows.
One wise recruiter once told me that some of the most successful job candidates circumvent the posting process by contacting the decision-makers directly. Find out who heads up the department that you want to work for and send your resume and cover letter to that person. What do you have to lose? A job opportunity? Who wouldn't want to receive the perfect candidate wrapped up in a bow?
Don't forget: There is life outside of the comfort zone. You actually might like it there and thrive.
What Makes Steve "Steve"
The news that Steve Jobs resigned as CEO came as little surprise to those who have been monitoring his ailing health lately. But it does mark the end of one of the most inspiring careers in the history of the business world. Few people in this world will revolutionize one industry. Steve Jobs revolutionized several: computing, telecommunications, music and movies. Since he had such a profound impact on the world, I think it’s fair to ask ourselves how he did it and, more importantly, how can we learn to unleash our inner Steve Jobs to advance our business, our careers, and the world.
In my research as an author on two books on Steve Jobs I’ve identified 7 principles that drove Steve Jobs and Apple’s success.
Here is an excerpt from the talk entitled “Steve Jobs’ 7 principles of innovation” at a conference in Europe.
Principle One: Do what you love. Steve Jobs taught us that you cannot come up with new, innovative and exciting products unless you’re inspired yourself and passionate about moving society forward. Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Life it too short, he said, for living someone elses’s dream. And if you haven’t found your passion, he said, keep looking, don’t settle.
Principle Two: Put a dent in the universe. Steve Jobs believes in the power of vision. And he certainly has a big vision. In the mid 1970s when computers were relegated to a small group of hobbyists, Steve Jobs was convinced that he could put a computer in the hands of everyday people. And so he challenged his co-founder Steve Wozniak and the Apple team to create a computer that everyday people would feel comfortable using. Eventually, that led to the computer that changed everything — The Macintosh. “Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company,” said Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech, on behalf of Apple’s Board.
Principle Three: Connect things to spark your creativity. Steve Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. Jobs often connects ideas from other fields. For example, he studied calligraphy in college. Calligraphy had no practical application to his life. But he was interested in it and passionate about it. Later his calligraphy experience would find its way into the Mac, the first computer with beautiful fonts. Creativity is connecting things from different fields.
Principle Four: Say no to 1,000 things. Steve Jobs is proud of what Apple does but he’s also proud of what Apple has chosen not to do. Steve Jobs once said that innovation comes from saying no to 1,000 things. I believe this speaks to simplicity. In apple’s world, simplicity is the elimination of clutter. Anything that clutters the user experience is eliminated. That’s why there’s only one button on the front of an iPad or why there is no built-in keyboard on an iPhone. Apple’s products are popular because they are simple, elegant and easy to use. But it all starts from Steve Jobs asking, what can we remove?
Principle Five: Create insanely different experiences. Steve Jobs created many product innovations, of course, but he also innovated around the customer service experience and I think it’s a part of his legacy that might not be fully appreciated. The Apple Stores make more money per square foot than most any other retailer including many luxury brands and they’re packed morning to night. The average stores sees 17,000 visitors a week! When Steve Jobs first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives instead. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand.
Principle Six: Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world but if you can’t communicate your ideas, it doesn’t matter. Steve Jobs is the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation. If there’s one thing that you can today to be more “Steve Jobs like”, it’s to think visually. There were very few words on a Steve Jobs slide. It’s a philosophy called picture superiority. People are more likely to remember information when it’s presented as words and pictures instead of words alone. I think it’s impossible to watch a Steve Jobs presentation without completely rethinking your current presentation. Sell your ideas the Steve Jobs way.
Principle Seven: Sell dreams, not products. Steve Jobs captured our imagination because he really understands his customer. In 1997, when Apple was close to bankruptcy, Steve Jobs said he would reduce the number of products Apple sold to satisfy the needs of their core customers. At the time, he said, “some people think you’ve got to be crazy to buy a mac, but in that craziness we see genius and those are the people we’re making tools for.” Your customers don’t care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Steve jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you’ll win them over.
There’s one story that I think sums up Steve Jobs’ career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. Steve’s advice? Dream bigger. I think that’s the best advice he would give us today and the advice he will continue to offer to Apple as its Chairman. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas. Because it’s those ideas that could potentially change the world.
In my research as an author on two books on Steve Jobs I’ve identified 7 principles that drove Steve Jobs and Apple’s success.
Here is an excerpt from the talk entitled “Steve Jobs’ 7 principles of innovation” at a conference in Europe.
Principle One: Do what you love. Steve Jobs taught us that you cannot come up with new, innovative and exciting products unless you’re inspired yourself and passionate about moving society forward. Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Life it too short, he said, for living someone elses’s dream. And if you haven’t found your passion, he said, keep looking, don’t settle.
Principle Two: Put a dent in the universe. Steve Jobs believes in the power of vision. And he certainly has a big vision. In the mid 1970s when computers were relegated to a small group of hobbyists, Steve Jobs was convinced that he could put a computer in the hands of everyday people. And so he challenged his co-founder Steve Wozniak and the Apple team to create a computer that everyday people would feel comfortable using. Eventually, that led to the computer that changed everything — The Macintosh. “Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company,” said Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech, on behalf of Apple’s Board.
Principle Three: Connect things to spark your creativity. Steve Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. Jobs often connects ideas from other fields. For example, he studied calligraphy in college. Calligraphy had no practical application to his life. But he was interested in it and passionate about it. Later his calligraphy experience would find its way into the Mac, the first computer with beautiful fonts. Creativity is connecting things from different fields.
Principle Four: Say no to 1,000 things. Steve Jobs is proud of what Apple does but he’s also proud of what Apple has chosen not to do. Steve Jobs once said that innovation comes from saying no to 1,000 things. I believe this speaks to simplicity. In apple’s world, simplicity is the elimination of clutter. Anything that clutters the user experience is eliminated. That’s why there’s only one button on the front of an iPad or why there is no built-in keyboard on an iPhone. Apple’s products are popular because they are simple, elegant and easy to use. But it all starts from Steve Jobs asking, what can we remove?
Principle Five: Create insanely different experiences. Steve Jobs created many product innovations, of course, but he also innovated around the customer service experience and I think it’s a part of his legacy that might not be fully appreciated. The Apple Stores make more money per square foot than most any other retailer including many luxury brands and they’re packed morning to night. The average stores sees 17,000 visitors a week! When Steve Jobs first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives instead. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand.
Principle Six: Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world but if you can’t communicate your ideas, it doesn’t matter. Steve Jobs is the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation. If there’s one thing that you can today to be more “Steve Jobs like”, it’s to think visually. There were very few words on a Steve Jobs slide. It’s a philosophy called picture superiority. People are more likely to remember information when it’s presented as words and pictures instead of words alone. I think it’s impossible to watch a Steve Jobs presentation without completely rethinking your current presentation. Sell your ideas the Steve Jobs way.
Principle Seven: Sell dreams, not products. Steve Jobs captured our imagination because he really understands his customer. In 1997, when Apple was close to bankruptcy, Steve Jobs said he would reduce the number of products Apple sold to satisfy the needs of their core customers. At the time, he said, “some people think you’ve got to be crazy to buy a mac, but in that craziness we see genius and those are the people we’re making tools for.” Your customers don’t care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Steve jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you’ll win them over.
There’s one story that I think sums up Steve Jobs’ career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. Steve’s advice? Dream bigger. I think that’s the best advice he would give us today and the advice he will continue to offer to Apple as its Chairman. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas. Because it’s those ideas that could potentially change the world.
Job Interview Tips
An interview gives you the opportunity to showcase your qualifications to an employer, so it pays to be well prepared. The following information provides some helpful hints.
Preparation:
* Learn about the organization.
* Have a specific job or jobs in mind.
* Review your qualifications for the job.
* Be ready to briefly describe your experience, showing how it relates it the
job.
* Be ready to answer broad questions, such as "Why should I hire you?" "Why do
you want this job?" "What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
* Practice an interview with a friend or relative.
Personal appearance:
* Be well groomed.
* Dress appropriately.
* Do not chew gum or smoke.
The interview:
* Be early.
* Learn the name of your interviewer and greet him or her with a firm handshake.
* Use good manners with everyone you meet.
* Relax and answer each question concisely.
* Use proper English—avoid slang.
* Be cooperative and enthusiastic.
* Use body language to show interest—use eye contact and don’t slouch.
* Ask questions about the position and the organization, but avoid questions
whose answers can easily be found on the company Web site.
* Also avoid asking questions about salary and benefits unless a job offer is
made.
* Thank the interviewer when you leave and shake hands.
* Send a short thank you note following the interview.
Information to bring to an interview:
* Social Security card.
* Government-issued identification (driver’s license).
* Resume or application. Although not all employers require a resume, you should
be able to furnish the interviewer information about your education, training,
and previous employment.
* References. Employers typically require three references. Get permission
before using anyone as a reference. Make sure that they will give you a good
reference. Try to avoid using relatives as references.
* Transcripts. Employers may require an official copy of transcripts to verify
grades, coursework, dates of attendance, and highest grade completed or degree
awarded.
Preparation:
* Learn about the organization.
* Have a specific job or jobs in mind.
* Review your qualifications for the job.
* Be ready to briefly describe your experience, showing how it relates it the
job.
* Be ready to answer broad questions, such as "Why should I hire you?" "Why do
you want this job?" "What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
* Practice an interview with a friend or relative.
Personal appearance:
* Be well groomed.
* Dress appropriately.
* Do not chew gum or smoke.
The interview:
* Be early.
* Learn the name of your interviewer and greet him or her with a firm handshake.
* Use good manners with everyone you meet.
* Relax and answer each question concisely.
* Use proper English—avoid slang.
* Be cooperative and enthusiastic.
* Use body language to show interest—use eye contact and don’t slouch.
* Ask questions about the position and the organization, but avoid questions
whose answers can easily be found on the company Web site.
* Also avoid asking questions about salary and benefits unless a job offer is
made.
* Thank the interviewer when you leave and shake hands.
* Send a short thank you note following the interview.
Information to bring to an interview:
* Social Security card.
* Government-issued identification (driver’s license).
* Resume or application. Although not all employers require a resume, you should
be able to furnish the interviewer information about your education, training,
and previous employment.
* References. Employers typically require three references. Get permission
before using anyone as a reference. Make sure that they will give you a good
reference. Try to avoid using relatives as references.
* Transcripts. Employers may require an official copy of transcripts to verify
grades, coursework, dates of attendance, and highest grade completed or degree
awarded.
Team Management
The Core Skills Needed to Manage Your Team
Develop effective management skills.
So you've just got a new job as a manager or supervisor. Congratulations! Or, maybe you've just been given the task of pulling a new team together. What a challenge!
Either way, whether your team exists already, or whether it's your responsibility to create it, what do you do next?
This article looks at some of the key things that team managers need to do if their team is to thrive and succeed. These range from choosing the right people and deciding who does what, to communicating with, developing and motivating people. It also covers some of the most common pitfalls to be avoided.
First Things First
But before that, some definitions are useful. What is management, exactly? And how does it differ from leadership?
A good starting point is Warren G Bennis' quote that "Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right." Leadership involves creating a compelling vision of the future, communicating that vision, and helping people understand and commit to it. Managers, on the other hand, are responsible for ensuring that the vision is implemented efficiently and successfully.
Of course, these two roles overlap – and, to be fully effective, you need to fulfill both roles. However, the focus of this article is on the specific skills and responsibilities of managers, and on the tools available to them. After all, there's no point energizing people to work towards a fabulous vision of the future, only to fall flat on your face when it comes to implementation.
The Importance of Delegation
The top priority for team managers is delegation. No matter how skilled you are, there's only so much you can achieve working on your own. With a team behind you, you can achieve so much more: that's why it's so important that you delegate effectively!
Successful delegation starts with matching people and tasks, so you first need to understand fully what the team's role and goals are. A good way of doing this is to put together a team charter, which sets out the purpose of the team and how it will work. Not only does this help you get your team off to a great start, it can also be useful in bringing the team back on track if it's veering off course.
Only then will you be in a position to analyze the skills, experience and competencies within your team, and start matching people to tasks. Read our article on task allocation for more detail on how to go about this, and to find out how to deal with real-world challenges, such as managing the gaps between team members' skill sets.
Motivating Your Team
Another key duty you have as a manager is to motivate team members.
Our article on Theory X and Theory Y explains two very different approaches to motivation, which depend on the fundamental assumptions that you make about the people who work for you. If you believe that they're intrinsically lazy, you believe in Theory X, while if you believe that most are happy to work, you'll tend towards Theory Y. Make sure that you understand this article – it will fundamentally affect your success in motivating people.
You can find out much more about motivation with our quiz How Good Are Your Motivation Skills?
Whatever approach you prefer to adopt, you also need to bear in mind that different people have different needs when it comes to motivation. Some individuals are highly self-motivated, while others will under-perform without managerial input. Use our article on Pygmalion Motivation to understand how to manage these different groups of people.
Developing Your Team
Teams are made up of individuals who have different outlooks and abilities, and are at different stages of their careers. Some may find that the tasks you've allocated to them are challenging, and they may need support. Others may be "old hands" at what they're doing, and may be looking for opportunities to stretch their skills. Either way, your responsibility as a manager is to develop all of your people.
Your skills in this aspect of management will define your long-term success as a manager. If you can help team members to become better at what they do, you will soon become known as a manager who other people want to work for, and you'll be making a great contribution to your organization too.
The most effective way of developing your people is ensuring that you give regular feedback to members of your team on their work. Many of us are nervous of giving feedback, especially when it has to be negative. However, if you give and receive feedback regularly, everyone will come to benefit from improved performance.
Beyond this, our article on Understanding Developmental Needs will help you develop individual team members, so that they can perform at their best.
Tip:
If you have to bring a substantial number of new people into your team, read our article on forming, norming, storming and performing to learn about the stages you can expect your team to go through. You can do a lot to help your people through this process!
Communicating and Working
With Your Team – and With Others
Communication skills are essential for success in almost any role, but there are particular skills and techniques that you'll use more as a manager than you did as a regular worker. These fall under two headings: communicating with team members, and communicating with people outside your team. We'll look at each in turn.
Communicating With People in Your Team
As a team manager, you're likely to be chairing regular sessions as well as one-off meetings. Meeting of all kinds, and regular ones in particular, are notorious for their capacity to waste people's time, so it's well worth mastering the skill of running effective meetings.
Many meetings include brainstorming sessions, and as team manager, you'll often have to facilitate these, so you'll need to be comfortable with how to do this. There's more to it than simply coming up with creative ideas, as you do when you're just a regular participant in such a session: read our article to find out how to run brainstorming sessions. Make sure that you understand where they can go wrong, and what you can do to avoid this.
Active listening is another important skill for managers – and others – to master. When you're in charge, it can be easy to think that you know what others are going to say, or that listening is less important because you've thought of a solution anyway.
Don't fall into this trap. Most good managers are active listeners: it helps them detect problems early (while they're still easy to deal with), avoid costly misunderstandings, and build trust within their teams.
Communicating With People Outside Your Team
Your boss is probably the most important person you need to communicate with. Take time to understand fully what your boss wants from you and your team – if you know exactly what she likes, and how she prefers it to be delivered, you'll be better able to meet with her approval.
Don't be afraid to ask your boss to coach or mentor you: you can usually learn a lot from him, but he may not be proactive about offering this. If you're approaching your boss for advice, make sure you've thought things through as far as you can. Introduce the subject with a summary of your thinking, and then say where you need help.
Also, as a manager, part of your job is to look after your team and protect it from unreasonable pressure. Learn skills like assertiveness and win-win negotiation so that you can either turn work away, or negotiate additional resources.
Another part of your job is to manage the way your team interacts with other groups. Use stakeholder analysis to identify the groups you need to deal with. Then talk to these people to find out what they want from you and what they can do to help you.
Managing Discipline
However much you hope you won't ever have to do it, and however much feedback you give, there comes a time in most managers' careers when they have to discipline an employee. Discipline may be subtly different from basic feedback because it doesn't always relate specifically to the employee's work. You can give feedback on their phone manner, for example, but handling problems with timekeeping or personal grooming can need a different approach.
Obvious breaches of the law or of company policy are easy to identify and deal with. But what of other situations? On one hand you don't want to feel or seem petty. On the other hand, you can't let things go that should be dealt with.
Use these rules-of-thumb to help you decide whether you need to take action. If the answer to any is yes, then you need to arrange a time to speak to the employee in private.
1. Does the issue affect the quality of the employee's deliverable to the client (internal or external)?
A graphic designer regularly only gets in to work late, although he stays late to make up for this. Customers are sometimes frustrated by not being able to get through to him at the start of the day, particularly when he's working on rush jobs.
2. Does the issue adversely impact the cohesiveness of the team?
Individual designers tend to work on their own projects, with few meetings between design team members, so cohesiveness is not impacted. However people are noticing his lack of punctuality, and other people's timekeeping is beginning to slip.
3. Does the issue unnecessarily undermine the interests of other individuals in the team?
The designer sitting next to the latecomer is unhappy that she has to field calls from clients before he reaches the office, and is unable to give a firm answer to the question "When will he be in?"
4. The design team manager decides to speak to the latecomer because of the impact on his co-worker. They agree that coming in to work late is not a problem (he has a long commute, with heavy traffic en route) but that he will commit to being in by 9.30am every day to reduce the number of calls his co-worker has to field, and also give her a fixed time to give clients. He will work late to make up time, and will take on a task she doesn't like to make up for her extra phone handling.
When you are faced with a potential discipline issue, take the time you need to gather information about the situation, then decide what you're going to do and act. Discipline issues rarely go away of their own accord, and they usually get worse, often causing considerable unhappiness and resentment amongst other team members.
Traps to Avoid
There are a number of common mistakes that new managers tend to make. Take care to avoid them!
These are:
* Thinking that you can rely on your existing job knowledge and technical skills to succeed as a manager. It is essential that you take the time to develop good management and people skills as well – these can be more important than your technical skills!
* Failing to consult regularly with your boss, in a misguided attempt to show that you can cope on your own.
* Approaching your boss without have thought a problem through, and without having thought about how the problem could be solved.
* Embarrassing your boss, or letting her get a nasty surprise. Follow the "no surprises" rule.
* Doing anything that requires your boss to defend you to others. This can cause your boss to "lose face" with his peers and superiors, and it makes him look bad for not "nipping the problem in the bud."
* Failing to talk to your customers (whether internal or external) about what they want from you and your team.
* Using your authority inappropriately – make sure that everything you ask people to do is in the interests of the organization.
Many of these points sound obvious, however it's incredibly easy to make these mistakes in the rush of everyday managerial life.
Key Points:
When you move from being a worker to a line manager, you need to develop a new set of skills, and make use of new tools and techniques. These will help you with the key management areas of organizing, motivating, developing and communicating with your team.
Above all, learn how to delegate effectively. However, also learn how to motivate people, develop team members, communicate effectively with people inside and outside your team, and manage discipline effectively. And make sure that you avoid the mistakes that so many new managers make!
Develop effective management skills.
So you've just got a new job as a manager or supervisor. Congratulations! Or, maybe you've just been given the task of pulling a new team together. What a challenge!
Either way, whether your team exists already, or whether it's your responsibility to create it, what do you do next?
This article looks at some of the key things that team managers need to do if their team is to thrive and succeed. These range from choosing the right people and deciding who does what, to communicating with, developing and motivating people. It also covers some of the most common pitfalls to be avoided.
First Things First
But before that, some definitions are useful. What is management, exactly? And how does it differ from leadership?
A good starting point is Warren G Bennis' quote that "Leaders are people who do the right thing; managers are people who do things right." Leadership involves creating a compelling vision of the future, communicating that vision, and helping people understand and commit to it. Managers, on the other hand, are responsible for ensuring that the vision is implemented efficiently and successfully.
Of course, these two roles overlap – and, to be fully effective, you need to fulfill both roles. However, the focus of this article is on the specific skills and responsibilities of managers, and on the tools available to them. After all, there's no point energizing people to work towards a fabulous vision of the future, only to fall flat on your face when it comes to implementation.
The Importance of Delegation
The top priority for team managers is delegation. No matter how skilled you are, there's only so much you can achieve working on your own. With a team behind you, you can achieve so much more: that's why it's so important that you delegate effectively!
Successful delegation starts with matching people and tasks, so you first need to understand fully what the team's role and goals are. A good way of doing this is to put together a team charter, which sets out the purpose of the team and how it will work. Not only does this help you get your team off to a great start, it can also be useful in bringing the team back on track if it's veering off course.
Only then will you be in a position to analyze the skills, experience and competencies within your team, and start matching people to tasks. Read our article on task allocation for more detail on how to go about this, and to find out how to deal with real-world challenges, such as managing the gaps between team members' skill sets.
Motivating Your Team
Another key duty you have as a manager is to motivate team members.
Our article on Theory X and Theory Y explains two very different approaches to motivation, which depend on the fundamental assumptions that you make about the people who work for you. If you believe that they're intrinsically lazy, you believe in Theory X, while if you believe that most are happy to work, you'll tend towards Theory Y. Make sure that you understand this article – it will fundamentally affect your success in motivating people.
You can find out much more about motivation with our quiz How Good Are Your Motivation Skills?
Whatever approach you prefer to adopt, you also need to bear in mind that different people have different needs when it comes to motivation. Some individuals are highly self-motivated, while others will under-perform without managerial input. Use our article on Pygmalion Motivation to understand how to manage these different groups of people.
Developing Your Team
Teams are made up of individuals who have different outlooks and abilities, and are at different stages of their careers. Some may find that the tasks you've allocated to them are challenging, and they may need support. Others may be "old hands" at what they're doing, and may be looking for opportunities to stretch their skills. Either way, your responsibility as a manager is to develop all of your people.
Your skills in this aspect of management will define your long-term success as a manager. If you can help team members to become better at what they do, you will soon become known as a manager who other people want to work for, and you'll be making a great contribution to your organization too.
The most effective way of developing your people is ensuring that you give regular feedback to members of your team on their work. Many of us are nervous of giving feedback, especially when it has to be negative. However, if you give and receive feedback regularly, everyone will come to benefit from improved performance.
Beyond this, our article on Understanding Developmental Needs will help you develop individual team members, so that they can perform at their best.
Tip:
If you have to bring a substantial number of new people into your team, read our article on forming, norming, storming and performing to learn about the stages you can expect your team to go through. You can do a lot to help your people through this process!
Communicating and Working
With Your Team – and With Others
Communication skills are essential for success in almost any role, but there are particular skills and techniques that you'll use more as a manager than you did as a regular worker. These fall under two headings: communicating with team members, and communicating with people outside your team. We'll look at each in turn.
Communicating With People in Your Team
As a team manager, you're likely to be chairing regular sessions as well as one-off meetings. Meeting of all kinds, and regular ones in particular, are notorious for their capacity to waste people's time, so it's well worth mastering the skill of running effective meetings.
Many meetings include brainstorming sessions, and as team manager, you'll often have to facilitate these, so you'll need to be comfortable with how to do this. There's more to it than simply coming up with creative ideas, as you do when you're just a regular participant in such a session: read our article to find out how to run brainstorming sessions. Make sure that you understand where they can go wrong, and what you can do to avoid this.
Active listening is another important skill for managers – and others – to master. When you're in charge, it can be easy to think that you know what others are going to say, or that listening is less important because you've thought of a solution anyway.
Don't fall into this trap. Most good managers are active listeners: it helps them detect problems early (while they're still easy to deal with), avoid costly misunderstandings, and build trust within their teams.
Communicating With People Outside Your Team
Your boss is probably the most important person you need to communicate with. Take time to understand fully what your boss wants from you and your team – if you know exactly what she likes, and how she prefers it to be delivered, you'll be better able to meet with her approval.
Don't be afraid to ask your boss to coach or mentor you: you can usually learn a lot from him, but he may not be proactive about offering this. If you're approaching your boss for advice, make sure you've thought things through as far as you can. Introduce the subject with a summary of your thinking, and then say where you need help.
Also, as a manager, part of your job is to look after your team and protect it from unreasonable pressure. Learn skills like assertiveness and win-win negotiation so that you can either turn work away, or negotiate additional resources.
Another part of your job is to manage the way your team interacts with other groups. Use stakeholder analysis to identify the groups you need to deal with. Then talk to these people to find out what they want from you and what they can do to help you.
Managing Discipline
However much you hope you won't ever have to do it, and however much feedback you give, there comes a time in most managers' careers when they have to discipline an employee. Discipline may be subtly different from basic feedback because it doesn't always relate specifically to the employee's work. You can give feedback on their phone manner, for example, but handling problems with timekeeping or personal grooming can need a different approach.
Obvious breaches of the law or of company policy are easy to identify and deal with. But what of other situations? On one hand you don't want to feel or seem petty. On the other hand, you can't let things go that should be dealt with.
Use these rules-of-thumb to help you decide whether you need to take action. If the answer to any is yes, then you need to arrange a time to speak to the employee in private.
1. Does the issue affect the quality of the employee's deliverable to the client (internal or external)?
A graphic designer regularly only gets in to work late, although he stays late to make up for this. Customers are sometimes frustrated by not being able to get through to him at the start of the day, particularly when he's working on rush jobs.
2. Does the issue adversely impact the cohesiveness of the team?
Individual designers tend to work on their own projects, with few meetings between design team members, so cohesiveness is not impacted. However people are noticing his lack of punctuality, and other people's timekeeping is beginning to slip.
3. Does the issue unnecessarily undermine the interests of other individuals in the team?
The designer sitting next to the latecomer is unhappy that she has to field calls from clients before he reaches the office, and is unable to give a firm answer to the question "When will he be in?"
4. The design team manager decides to speak to the latecomer because of the impact on his co-worker. They agree that coming in to work late is not a problem (he has a long commute, with heavy traffic en route) but that he will commit to being in by 9.30am every day to reduce the number of calls his co-worker has to field, and also give her a fixed time to give clients. He will work late to make up time, and will take on a task she doesn't like to make up for her extra phone handling.
When you are faced with a potential discipline issue, take the time you need to gather information about the situation, then decide what you're going to do and act. Discipline issues rarely go away of their own accord, and they usually get worse, often causing considerable unhappiness and resentment amongst other team members.
Traps to Avoid
There are a number of common mistakes that new managers tend to make. Take care to avoid them!
These are:
* Thinking that you can rely on your existing job knowledge and technical skills to succeed as a manager. It is essential that you take the time to develop good management and people skills as well – these can be more important than your technical skills!
* Failing to consult regularly with your boss, in a misguided attempt to show that you can cope on your own.
* Approaching your boss without have thought a problem through, and without having thought about how the problem could be solved.
* Embarrassing your boss, or letting her get a nasty surprise. Follow the "no surprises" rule.
* Doing anything that requires your boss to defend you to others. This can cause your boss to "lose face" with his peers and superiors, and it makes him look bad for not "nipping the problem in the bud."
* Failing to talk to your customers (whether internal or external) about what they want from you and your team.
* Using your authority inappropriately – make sure that everything you ask people to do is in the interests of the organization.
Many of these points sound obvious, however it's incredibly easy to make these mistakes in the rush of everyday managerial life.
Key Points:
When you move from being a worker to a line manager, you need to develop a new set of skills, and make use of new tools and techniques. These will help you with the key management areas of organizing, motivating, developing and communicating with your team.
Above all, learn how to delegate effectively. However, also learn how to motivate people, develop team members, communicate effectively with people inside and outside your team, and manage discipline effectively. And make sure that you avoid the mistakes that so many new managers make!
How To Get A Job in Pro Sports
How To Get A Job In Pro Sports
Tom Van Riper, 9.11.2011
Can't throw a 95-mile an hour fastball or dunk over a 7-foot center, but want to work in sports? There's still hope. Here's a look at 10 jobs to get you in the door.
Want to work in professional sports? Get in line. Larger staffs these days mean openings are more plentiful than they used to be, but the competition is intense, even if you're not a first-round NFL draft pick. Even people with advanced degrees agree to take internships to get a foot in the door.
Still, for college students or recent grads determined to pursue a career in sports management, some entry-level jobs are more valuable than others. Working in the box office, for instance, isn't likely to get you anywhere. But proving you've got sales skills--that's another story.
"The kids don't want sales, but that's where the jobs are," says Bernie Mullin, former president of Atlanta Spirit, which owns the NBA Hawks and NHL Thrashers. Starting at $10 an hour plus commission may not appeal to a newly minted college grad, but few things draw more notice from senior management than showing you can get paying customers to the game. Sponsors, after all, pay by the eyeball.
"They need to understand it's all about butts in seats," says Mullin, who now runs the Aspire Group, an industry consultant. Those who jump into the group-sales game be warned: The competition is as fierce as it is among players on the field. For most, it's up or out within a year. To qualify, some sort of sales track record, even selling sneakers in a sporting goods store, is a big help.
Those who succeed in group sales generally rake in $100,000 annually before age 30, before advancing into the even more lucrative role of corporate sponsorship sales.
But if sales just isn't your thing, there are other avenues. Most clubs and leagues offer entry level slots in public relations. Writing press releases and putting together media guides is often a path to bigger things. Legendary NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle went that route, starting out in public relations for the Los Angeles Rams. The pros' advice to undergrads: Get down to your school's Sports Information Department right away and start doing it for free. Almost anyone you'll be competing with for a PR spot already is.
Another popular choice: customer service. Helping to put together special events, like pregame stadium entertainment or off-site shindigs for sponsors, is a way to demonstrate the organization skills and attention to detail that management loves.
For finance and accounting types, the best bet is to forget sports right out of college. Most teams hire those folks from their outside auditors rather than at the entry level. Likewise, boutique investment banks specializing sports (generally team acquisition and stadium financing) tend to be small shops with few openings.
While a specialized degree in sports management carries a lot of importance--especially for those without connections--teams are more interested in seeing experience through internships and college athletic department work. Most clubs are also partial to athletes, at least those who lettered in high school if not college. Sales in particular requires mental toughness and an ability to overcome obstacles, qualities often associated with jocks.
"They want to see that you won't wilt like a flower," says Buffy Filippell, president of TeamWork Consulting and a former agent with sports and entertainment heavyweight IMG. Also important to know going in, she says, is that sports management is not a nine-to-five job. Between travel and various starting times for games, the hours can be crazy. For the closest comparison, think of the 24/7 hotel business.
The good news is that even through a bumpy economy, the sports industry continues to thrive. Filippell says that most teams and outside agencies are hiring even as other sectors of the economy cut back.
"There are plenty of jobs for entry-level grads or college students," she says. "The challenging part is the entry-level salary." Not to mention the cutthroat competition. If you can't hit a jump shot or throw a spiral 50 yards, bone up on those sales skills.
Tom Van Riper, 9.11.2011
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Want to work in professional sports? Get in line. Larger staffs these days mean openings are more plentiful than they used to be, but the competition is intense, even if you're not a first-round NFL draft pick. Even people with advanced degrees agree to take internships to get a foot in the door.
Still, for college students or recent grads determined to pursue a career in sports management, some entry-level jobs are more valuable than others. Working in the box office, for instance, isn't likely to get you anywhere. But proving you've got sales skills--that's another story.
In Depth: The 10 Best Entry-Level Jobs In Pro Sports
Without connections through family or friends, showing a sports organization that you can sell to groups, organize events or put together media guides goes a long way toward reaching that corner office with a view of the field."The kids don't want sales, but that's where the jobs are," says Bernie Mullin, former president of Atlanta Spirit, which owns the NBA Hawks and NHL Thrashers. Starting at $10 an hour plus commission may not appeal to a newly minted college grad, but few things draw more notice from senior management than showing you can get paying customers to the game. Sponsors, after all, pay by the eyeball.
"They need to understand it's all about butts in seats," says Mullin, who now runs the Aspire Group, an industry consultant. Those who jump into the group-sales game be warned: The competition is as fierce as it is among players on the field. For most, it's up or out within a year. To qualify, some sort of sales track record, even selling sneakers in a sporting goods store, is a big help.
Those who succeed in group sales generally rake in $100,000 annually before age 30, before advancing into the even more lucrative role of corporate sponsorship sales.
But if sales just isn't your thing, there are other avenues. Most clubs and leagues offer entry level slots in public relations. Writing press releases and putting together media guides is often a path to bigger things. Legendary NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle went that route, starting out in public relations for the Los Angeles Rams. The pros' advice to undergrads: Get down to your school's Sports Information Department right away and start doing it for free. Almost anyone you'll be competing with for a PR spot already is.
Another popular choice: customer service. Helping to put together special events, like pregame stadium entertainment or off-site shindigs for sponsors, is a way to demonstrate the organization skills and attention to detail that management loves.
For finance and accounting types, the best bet is to forget sports right out of college. Most teams hire those folks from their outside auditors rather than at the entry level. Likewise, boutique investment banks specializing sports (generally team acquisition and stadium financing) tend to be small shops with few openings.
While a specialized degree in sports management carries a lot of importance--especially for those without connections--teams are more interested in seeing experience through internships and college athletic department work. Most clubs are also partial to athletes, at least those who lettered in high school if not college. Sales in particular requires mental toughness and an ability to overcome obstacles, qualities often associated with jocks.
"They want to see that you won't wilt like a flower," says Buffy Filippell, president of TeamWork Consulting and a former agent with sports and entertainment heavyweight IMG. Also important to know going in, she says, is that sports management is not a nine-to-five job. Between travel and various starting times for games, the hours can be crazy. For the closest comparison, think of the 24/7 hotel business.
The good news is that even through a bumpy economy, the sports industry continues to thrive. Filippell says that most teams and outside agencies are hiring even as other sectors of the economy cut back.
"There are plenty of jobs for entry-level grads or college students," she says. "The challenging part is the entry-level salary." Not to mention the cutthroat competition. If you can't hit a jump shot or throw a spiral 50 yards, bone up on those sales skills.
In Depth: The 10 Best Entry-Level Jobs In Pro Sports
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