Tips On Starting a New Job

Published by Connie English on April 1, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

The beautiful spring in Charlottesville provides a reward for surviving the dreary cold weather months.  Making a career transition in today’s competitive environment can often seem like an endless winter.  Employers are very cautious (and slow) with their decision these days and sometimes it feels that the new job is out of reach.  Eventually, like spring, the offer for a job that fits you and your desires will come through, bringing a fresh start and…  an end to your stress.  Right?    

The first days of a new job can set the stage for a career at a company.  First impressions, expectations and even rituals are formed in that initial period. The nuances of global business and modern office arrangements can throw even an experienced saavy manager for a loop.  After two years as an independent consultant, a mid-career alumnus recently took a job at a well known global communications firm. After 90 days on the job, here are the graduate’s reflections and tips on the process:

Tip #1:   Put the first day in perspective: You have done it before!

“Starting with a new company after a long period out of the market, felt to me like my first day of school again. I did not have my ‘gig’ down -in terms of what to wear beyond my interview suit and how to plan my work-outs, travel to and from office…what to bring. The night before my first day, I got nervous and thought “that is ridiculous”. I determined all I had to do was just get there and that would be the worst part of the first day. Good thinking ;) – I made it to the New York office on-time. “

Tip #2 Ask who you should call on before going into the office for the first time. 

“I did not know who to announce myself to as my direct manager is located in Asia. So I just showed up and rang the bell. There was no reception area. The office administrator helped me with getting my laptop, badge, pass etc. To my surprise, I learned that morning that there are no assigned seats and that in fact, everybody is by default home-based. One can come into the office, but you have to be fast to get a seat since there are only 16 of them. The entire NYC office staff numbers close to 40. There is no desk scheduling system, so you do not know who is coming in or how many on any given day. As it turns out, it can be very empty or overfilled.”

Tip #3 Did you ask what the working environment is like during the interview process?

“I had spent many hours in my apartment home office job searching, networking, preparing interviews and completing projects.  I was looking forward to working in a team with social interactions again. I was surprised that this topic had never come up during the three month interviewing process.  I just assumed I would have a desk with my name on it where I can settle my keyboard, my phone etc…”

 Tip #4 Have an elevator pitch ready for meeting many new people. The selling yourself has not ended with landing the job!

“As expected, my manager asked me for a 30-60-90 day plan and to set up introductory meetings with about 20 colleagues. Those introductions were hard because my team is new and we had not formulated objectives or a strategy – only a vision. Furthermore, in my mind, I was not clear yet how to best present myself. Part of my reluctance was also that the natural introduction question is “where are you joining from?”  and I had been out of a full-time environment for two years. I wish I had thought about that aspect ahead of time and prepared for it. One new colleague asked me: “Why did you leave your former company?” – I was so perplexed, did not want to share that I was part of workforce reduction that I responded “Oh, I wanted to travel.”  

Tip #5 Be prepared for ongoing conservative economic environment despite getting hired.

“I had several frustrations during my on-boarding time. A particularly difficult one for me was that I joined at the end of the fiscal year, the budget had been spent, the sales numbers were not where they would like them to be and there was no money left in the budget to be spent. I found myself with a pen and a desk in my own four wall environment that I had seen too much of and very restricted in my outreach capabilities. Two trip requests were declined – one included an annual forum of key customer contacts (a domestic trip). 

What helped here is that I stayed in touch and personally wrote thank-you letters to anybody involved in my long job search. In response to that correspondence and the announcement of my new role, I received some immediate feedback and found further contacts to network with for my new role.   The onboarding process reminded me that building relationships is a lifelong engagement.  In the Darden community, I have experienced a great number of alumni willing to speak with me, give me feedback and share their networking contacts.”

I could write pages about other crazy beginnings that alumni have experienced.  Many surprises could have been avoided by having critical conversations and asking the right questions during the recruiting process.  Preparation and forethought can make starting a new job seem like a well-deserved honeymoon rather than a blind date gone bad. 

The Career Management page of the Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services (ACS) website includes more resources on on-boarding and assimilating to a new job.  ACS career coaches are also available to assist you in the process.  Happy Spring!

Connie English, Director of Alumni Career Services, Darden School of Business

Who Are You? — Maximizing Your Introduction

Published by Connie English on May 4, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

Spring is  a very busy (and fun!) time at Darden — two weekends ago we welcomed admitted students to Grounds for the Darden Days festivities and this past weekend brought back hundreds of alumni for Reunion Weekend.  So over the last 15 days, I met many new people and became reacquainted with numerous others.   That’s lots and lots of introductions!  And in big group events it is easy for one introduction to sound just like the last.  Some, though, manage to stand out from the crowd.  What does it take to make that lasting first impression?

Introductions are pretty standard, right?  At my son’s lacrosse game last night I listened as the PA announcer introduced the starters at the beginning of the game… each player’s number, name, and position reverberated through the speakers as he ran out and shook hands with the opponent’s coach before taking his place at the center of the field with his teammates.  Just like the player introductions, professional and social introductions follow a set pattern.  The infamous matron of manners, Emily Post, even prescribed rules about the order and format of introductions –  in the United States it includes a handshake, recitation of each person’s name typically followed by small talk as the parties search for something that they have in common.  So why is it that some people’s introductions are more memorable than others?

Let me share some differentiators I have noticed: 

  1. Projecting confidence with a firm hand shake, eye contact and appropriate voice volume. 
  2. Listening with interest to absorb the other person’s name and take an interest in who s/he is and what s/he is saying.  (That includes actually listening to and remembering his or her name.)
  3. Being fully present with the person to whom you are being introduced – that means not looking around to find someone else or reaching for your phone to see who just texted you.
  4. Having a “hook” or a tag line that catches people’s interest and allows them to remember who you are.  Something distinct that helps the other person not only remember your name, but also remember who you are.

But who are you?  Knowing the answer to this is perhaps the key to being memorable.  If you know the brand you are trying to impart, and are conscious of what you project, chances are others will remember that about you. 

I think about the quiet yet engaged graduate who extended the handshake an extra few seconds and, before saying his own name, made the comment that he had heard of me and appreciated how I had helped one of his classmates with a job search.  Whether he was consciously projecting the brand or not, he signaled to me who he is …  a kind and gracious person who cares about others. 

I think about the admitted student who smiled and, following his name, told me how this was the first time he had ever visited a winery (the venue of this particular event) although he grew up on a different kind of farm.  Right away I associated his upbringing with hard work and practicality and we quickly shifted into an interesting conversation about the family farm.  I got a clear picture of who he is and what kind of student he likely will be.

I think about the alumnus who had just been recognized for having given $1 million to the school, who introduced himself as a grateful man of humble beginnings.   His strong message was delivered in a soft and thoughtful manner – his voice and tone saying as much as the words actually spoken.  We got a picture of who he is — a deliberate, gracious, and well-spoken leader.

Lacrosse player #50’s “hook” was his 6’6” stature and his distinct confident strut made a strong first impression on the opposing team.  Not everyone has height going for him (or her, says this 5’4” shrimp!) but regardless of physical attributes, everyone has the opportunity to send a message.  Knowing who you are and what you want to be known for is the first step in developing that first impression.  Being conscious of your actions and being fully present in the first moments of a relationship will maximize the impact of your introductions.  

Connie Dato English (MBA ’91), Director of the Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

How do companies hire?

Published by Connie English on March 1, 2012 in Uncategorized. 2 Comments Tags: , .

At a party last week I had a conversation with my friend, Joe, who sells a software product to hospitals. I was asking him about the process he uses to sell. As we spoke, it occurred to me that the process Joe uses is very similar to the process I advise job seekers to use. In either endeavor one needs to first understand the target audience to be able to develop the product’s value proposition and pitch to the intended audience’s needs.

For Joe to sell his product he needs to understand the business needs and the processes that the hospital currently uses so he can focus his conversation on the software’s ability to meet the needs and improve productivity. Joe is at his best when he understands who the decision makers are within his prospective customer organization and how the often complex buying process works. 

With job seekers, it is no different. They too need to understand the business needs of the prospective employer and how a new employee might add value to and solve the problems of the organization. They can then steer conversations to accentuate their ability to meet those needs. Importantly, like Joe, if the job candidate understands how the target companies hire, s/he can be most effective. 

So… how do companies hire? The process of hiring and sourcing talent has changed over recent years and varies from company to company, but there are some steps –informal and formal – that typically take place. 

First, when a manager (let’s call her Susan) realizes the need for a new team member (someone is promoted, someone quits, or growth occurs), Susan begins to ask trusted friends and colleagues if they know anyone that might fit the bill.   Before any HR manager, recruiter or job board catches a word of the opening, Susan is tapping into her informal network –  colleagues in and out of the company, classmates from B-School, neighbors at Saturday’s block party,  other parents on the sideline of little Johnny’s soccer game.  People like to hire a “known quantity” so the personal referral from a respected acquaintance often becomes a front runner before the opening is ever posted!

At some point, Susan will have a meeting or conversation with her internal human resource support – in large organizations that will probably be an internal recruiter or talent sourcing professional.  In a smaller company that might be someone who handles everything from bookkeeping to human resources, including the hiring process.  Depending on the level of the position, an executive recruiter may be retained to direct the hiring process.  First, a job description is drawn up or edited and the recruiter (internal or external) listens to Susan’s wants and needs.  It is the recruiter’s job to find three to five “perfect matches.”  

While the formal organizational process is gearing up to identify candidates, the informal referral process is in full swing  — very likely Susan is talking with the referred candidates.  By the time a job description is refined and published, the informal process often has already produced a couple of excellent candidates, who bypassed the formal candidate vetting process making it directly to the “shortlist.”   

Recruiters (internal and external) employ several tactics of their own to present a shortlist of 3-5 candidates for Susan to consider.  They use LinkedIn searches, they reach out to people they know who work in competitor companies, they scan member lists of pertinent professional organizations and they post the job description on targeted job boards.  They typically are interested only in people who are currently performing the same job somewhere else.  Adam Slinger of ATM Talent management was recently quoted: “Our company sources all our passive candidates who are actively working within an industry by networking. These candidates are usually too busy making a difference within their industry to update their profiles on LinkedIn and they are definitely not thinking about moving so you will not find them on job boards.”  Once identified, the formal screening process includes a phone interview to verify technical match and to eliminate obvious misfits.  A recruiter will discuss with Susan what she’s finding and start to schedule interviews with the front-runners.  At this point the informal candidates are merged with the recruiter’s shortlist.

In-person meetings, often times several rounds of interviews, are used to establish fit. Some firms will do personality or skills tests to ensure the candidates are meeting their pre-set qualifications.  While there are influencers all around her that may sway her decision, Susan has the last word.   Undoubtedly the candidates she found through her own trusted network are going to have a leg up on the rest of the pack. 

Understanding the hiring process of a company can be crucial in your ability to land a job there. With that knowledge, and by working your network, you can connect with people who might get you into the informal process giving you a better chance of making the sale!  

Connie Dato English,  Director of the Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services  at the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

Searching SMART

Published by Marty Speight on February 1, 2012 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Chances are you made some resolutions last month. Chances are you wrote them down somewhere, but haven’t looked back at your list. If you resolved to make a change in your professional life – landing a promotion, say, or switching jobs – writing the goal down is a good start, but it won’t be enough to create the momentum you’ll need to achieve change. In our last entry Resolve to Be Career Happy in 2012 you read that you should “develop an action plan” to reach your goal, but what exactly should that action plan include? An effective action plan will have specific steps, people, resources, and a timeframe. But what about the goal itself? When you’ve got a SMART goal, it’s much easier to create the plan for change. Here’s how the SMART mnemonic relates to career management:

Specific
I recently worked with a 1974 alumnus, who was displaced from his job very unexpectedly. His first reaction, given the uncertainty of the economy, was to define his new job search goal as “I’ll take any job in manufacturing operations within a 350 mile radius.” Yet, as he began to engage his network he realized that goal wasn’t specific enough, so it became: “I’m seeking a quality manager role in the operation of a multi-line diversified manufacturing operation in Richmond, VA.” Having a goal this specific enabled him to pinpoint a relevant target list of companies and dramatically improve his pitch to them. A specific goal has a much greater chance of succeeding than a general or broad goal. What you must do is begin to answer the questions “what do I want to do?” and “where do I want to do it?”

Measurable
It might seem that there is only one measure of success when seeking a job change – an actual job offer. But, there are many other tactical and important things to do, track, and assess that are critical for job search. How many companies have you identified that target your specific goal? Are you tracking and researching these target companies? Have you made networking connections to get you closer to those companies?

One measure that most job seekers focus on is the number of applications they submit to online job postings. Yet statistics continually show that less than 10% of jobs are filled from these applications. HR departments are flooded with applications and use screening software to weed out most resumes anyway. [See Wall Street Journal “Your Resume vs. Oblivion"] Purposefully growing your network will aid in a job search many times over. Regularly schedule time for your outreach calls and email, face-to-face meetings and other touch points (such as industry conferences), track your interactions, follow-up with key people frequently, and seek out ways to build credibility and visibility with your network over time.

Attainable
A 2005 alum called us to talk through his career goals – he wanted to relocate his family to a different state and to leave his corporate finance job to work in a smaller company. The decision to move was specific and tied directly to the needs of his family, but the goal to target a smaller company was less defined. As we mapped out an action plan, it became clear that to achieve his ultimate goal he might have to make the change in two or more steps, focusing first on finding a similar finance job in the new locale, then taking the steps in his new community, over time, to find the smaller companies he wanted to target for his next professional move. Career moves are attainable if they are realistic given your present circumstances.

Relevant
When a career goal is relevant, it is consistent with the other goals in your life. I coached an alumna who was considering a move within her industry. The opportunity had found her, through a former boss, and was one of the elusive “hidden” jobs, not advertised. When it became clear she would be receiving an offer, she paused to consider the consequences of accepting: The compensation would be the same, the job responsibilities would reduce her analytical duties (tasks she loves) and seemed generally less interesting than her current work, plus she’d be ‘on-call’ during weekends causing time away from her family. Yet she felt that that the new position would be a good “stepping stone.” When I asked where this stepping stone would logically lead, she couldn’t say with any assurance that her professional prospects would be improved. She began to understand that a job offer isn’t necessarily a good thing if it isn’t consistent with personal and professional objectives.

Time-bound
Career planning takes time and thoughtfulness; you must consider both how you will fit the time in each week and month to do the tactical work plus, if you’re seeking a job change, you need to have realistic ideas about how long it takes to land. A general rule-of-thumb is that a professional job search will take five months plus one additional month for each change in the following: company, function, industry, location, size of company and compensation. [See The Ladders "How long is this going to take?"]

Managing your career, or searching for a new job, becomes easier when you’re SMART, setting specific goals that are both relevant and attainable, devoting the time necessary to evaluate your priorities and articulate your objective, and measuring progress along the way.

Marty Speight (MBA ’96)
Associate Director of the Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

Resolve to Be Career Happy in 2012

Published by Connie English on January 1, 2012 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Surf the net, and you’ll find plenty of celebrities’ New Year’s resolutions: “Stay single,”“Quit smoking,” “Spend more time with my wife,” “Be great at everything I do” and “Sleep less, play more.” Will Ferrell even vows to “Get at least 13 hours a sleep a night, consistently” (really?!?!). New Year’s resolutions are usually set to change a habit which will lead to a happier, healthier life. As you approach 2012 consider resolving to achieve or sustain “career happiness.”

Considering that most of us spend about 60 percent of our waking hours during the week at work and many more influenced by work (thoughts, worries, pressures, schedule constraints, travel, etc.), shouldn’t we all be in jobs we enjoy? A Darden alumnus reflecting on his situation recently said to me, “But, no one really loves their job.” Au contraire — it didn’t take long to dig up a few notes from alumni who have found jobs they love: “I am excited to have achieved a personal goal of getting into the cleantech space and equally excited to have a hand in growing a company from near infancy”; “It definitely is a lot of fun being able to effect change so quickly, which is a nice change”; “I am truly passionate about the retail industry. … I just received an offer for a senior analyst position at Tiffany & Co. I am ecstatic!”

Finding a job that fits your passion is not only possible, it’s crucial.

Watch this 90-second video of Mark Forchette,
a CEO speaking at Stanford University, demonstrating how passion is essential.

It is very difficult to compete with someone who loves what s/he does more than you do. The New Year is a good time to reflect and take action to bring contentment (and greater success) to your professional life.

You may already be very happy with your career and have passion for what you do. You may be in a career transition or unhappy in your current situation. Perhaps you are unsure of where you are going with your current role. Whatever the current picture shows, here are some actions to take, resolutions perhaps, which can pave the road to happiness:

  1. Reflect on how you feel at and about work and WHY you feel that way. What is the root cause of your state of contentment? Is it related to: your environment, the type of activities you are performing, the amount of control you have over your own situation, the compensation you receive, your commute, your ability to succeed in the job, the impact you are making in the organization, appreciation of the value of your work, the mission of the organization, personality fit with the people with whom you work, ability to grow within your job, learning ability/potential? What is working well for you and what is lacking or wrong?
  2. Think about what you LIKE to do. Be honest. If you aren’t doing it now, what is keeping you from that track or that passion? Don’t underestimate how important PASSION is to success in business.
  3. Think about where you want to be in the future. Evaluate your own qualifications against the requirements of such a job. What skills, experiences and credentials do you lack? What can you do to close those gaps? Develop an action plan to attain the missing pieces and incorporate the steps into your 2012 calendar.
  4. Evaluate your “personal brand” and how you are currently perceived by others. How do you want to be known? Become deliberate in your everyday activity as well as in your LinkedIn profile to communicate that desired brand.
  5. Connect with people who can help you attain career happiness. Make a list of at least 12 people with whom you want to have a mutually beneficial professional relationship. Plan once a week to connect with one of those people. Resolve to make time to nurture the relationship with a conversation or, better yet, to meet for coffee or lunch. (It’s easier than going to the gym!)

Thomas Jefferson wrote that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights of man. Exercise your right — pursue your passion and take action to achieve a job and career that allows you to enjoy the hours you spend influenced by your employment. Resolve to be “career happy” in 2012.

The Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services stands ready to help Darden alumni in this pursuit.

Connie Dato English (MBA ’91)

Director of The Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services, University of Virginia, Darden School of Business.

Why Bother to Job Search in December?

Published by Connie English on December 1, 2011 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

I was in the store last weekend and overheard two women making their plans for Black Friday. They were developing their strategy for the upcoming shopping extravaganza – when to start, where to go first, what order to hit the stores and how to pace themselves. It was clear these women would maximize the savings for the day, all in the spirit of the season – generosity and social connection. People put their routines aside for about five weeks to send cards and letters, throw and attend holiday parties, make visits and trips home, bake special treats for friends and neighbors, give gifts and look for special ways to connect with their community. What a perfect time to job search!

Most job seekers think that it’s no use to work on their searches in December. Perhaps John Challenger, CEO of outplacement and search firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas knows better – he was quoted last December: “It seems that business just keeps going through the holidays. There doesn’t seem to be the kind of letup that there used to be.” Even if a firm doesn’t hire in December, the months of January and February are typically hiring high points. The job seeker who takes advantage of the generosity and potentially interrupted pace of the holidays is setting himself up to be at the front of the queue when companies are ready to hire at the onset of the New Year. On the 5th of January of this year, alumnus Uyi Edebiri (MBA ’08) wrote “What a happy way to start a New Year!” having accepted a coveted consulting job that morning. While other candidates went on holiday hiatus, Uyi diligently persisted with interviews and follow-ups.

With such a volatile market, candidates need to leverage every advantage possible. The good news is that the global Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) is reporting that “despite economic turbulence, a continuing year-on-year trend – from Q3 2010 to Q3 2011 – reveals a 5% increase in the number of new searches.” Their data shows that the “executive search industry has now returned, in number and level of searches, close to its all-time revenue high of 2008.” The data shows that opportunities exist and job seekers need to work to get as much exposure in the market as possible. You can use December to connect with recruiters that have been in touch with you over the years … let them know you are open to opportunities.

Holiday parties and cards provide natural opportunities to connect with people in your network that are otherwise dormant. You may be thrust into these activities anyway, so making it part of your career management really isn’t too cumbersome. Go to parties not only to spread holiday cheer, but also to reconnect with friends and colleagues and educate them about your search.  Know what you are looking for so that you are ready to tell your story and enable people to become an agent for you going forward. Having casual yet substantive conversations will go farther than asking for favors.  Make a point of looking for ways to help others too. If you’re sending holiday greetings, don’t be afraid to mention your quest for new employment and include an invitation to re-connect in the near future … then follow through.  Most good job leads are found through referrals by people who know you and your work.  A Darden alumna who landed a job in January reported “all of the interviews I landed were through networking with classmates, former colleagues, professors etc. I used LinkedIn daily and really maximized my network!”  Make the most out of the increased social gatherings and resist the urge to stay home – after all, you can’t get the early bird bargain if you don’t get to the store!

If you are looking to make a change, rather than writing off the holiday season employ the shoppers’ strategies:  plan your approach, pace yourself and optimize on the holiday generosity and social connection.  Of course, The Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services at Darden is ready to help alumni develop and implement their strategies – don’t hesitate to call on us for help.  In the meantime, have a happy holiday season and here’s to the start of a prosperous 2012!

Connie Dato English (MBA ’91)
Director of The Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services, University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

Company Culture: Curse or Charm?

Published by Marty Speight on November 1, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Mona West (MBA’96) conducted a successful job search in 2009 after being downsized out of her marketing job during the recession. Her stellar CPG marketing credentials helped her land the seemingly “perfect” job: a top position in a well-regarded and rapidly-growing company leading the launch of a multi-million dollar new product line where she would define the go-to-market strategy. Not only that, she was offered a solid compensation package and direct access to the executive leadership team. What could go wrong? Within days she was questioning her decision, within weeks she was feeling quite unhappy and within six months she had left the company.

Mona explains it succinctly: “Despite over ten years of relatively easy career success, this job just felt HARD, every day. Doing the tiniest things felt like pushing a rock uphill. Social events were painful because we had little in common to chatter about. More importantly when it came time to work through difficult business decisions, we struggled because we had not been able to build camaraderie and trust. In the end, I got tired, disengaged, and ultimately moved on. It’s still a good company, with great people. I learned, painfully, it was the ‘perfect job’….for someone else!”

Mona’s situation illustrates a classic problem in job satisfaction: cultural mismatch. Company culture is defined as the shared values and practices of an organization’s employees. What Mona had overlooked was how that company’s culture fit with her personal values and individual style. The collective experiences and personalities of a company’s employees contribute to company culture, in both intended and unintended ways. Large and long-standing companies typically have a highly entrenched culture that is easy to pinpoint. Emerging companies and start-ups can have a distinct culture but it may be more fluid and dynamic. In any company, culture naturally changes and evolves over time with the addition (and exit) of personnel.

When you’re in a company that fits closely with your values and style, things will feel very natural – you may not even notice the culture. But, when things change or when you’ve outgrown your company’s culture, you may become dissatisfied. Some hints that you’re in a cultural mismatch are feelings of frustration, boredom, cynicism, and conflict. If you find yourself continually exasperated or discouraged with work in general, you may need to assess your “cultural fit.” Having a keen sense of your own personal values and working style is just as important as understanding your hard skills and professional aspirations. Working with one of the Armstrong Center’s Career (ACS) Coaches can help you consider your situation and determine the best course of action.

Clues to Company Culture

Culture manifests itself in an organization’s:

  • physical environment (e.g., dress codes, office layout or design, décor)
    policies (e.g., codes of conduct, ethics)
  • communication methods and style (e.g., language, leadership)
    decision making (e.g., speed, inclusion)
  • symbols (e.g., public relations, branding)
  • stories and legends (e.g., corporate history and lore)\
  • daily work practices (e.g., how teams form, how meetings are conducted, etc.)

One alumnus that ACS recently worked with had achieved what seemed to be a great deal of success at an emerging health services firm: four promotions in four years each with growing responsibilities, ultimately landing his targeted functional role as product manager. Yet he still didn’t feel a sense of satisfaction. He created his own personal “gap analysis” comparing “What I Want” with “What I Have” on a variety of dimensions. He concluded that the company is a great place, just no longer the best culture for him.

Here’s the bottom line: You can’t grow and thrive where you don’t fit, and you shouldn’t stay where you don’t feel comfortable. Sometimes that can mean a change in function, division or career track inside your current company. But when you’re searching for a new job, finding a great culture match is as important a consideration as the typical issues of title, responsibilities, compensation and location. Look broadly at the culture (see “Clues to Company Culture” box) and ask thoughtful questions during your networking and interviews. Asking directly “How does this company guide its culture?,” or, “What do you find most remarkable about your company’s culture?” can be useful, but consider digging deeper into the clues for a real picture. Ask, for example, “How does the position I’m considering participate in key decisions?” or “What do people do for fun here?” And also ask yourself “Do I really understand this company’s mission…..does it fit with my personal values?,” and “What kind of people do I enjoy working with most (and why)?”.

So, how did Mona’s story turn out? She grudgingly launched another job search, but the cultural mismatch experience led to a clearer focus and a determination to land a job in an industry and company that “fit” her personal values and style. She happily reports, “I’ve since started a new job that IS the perfect job for me. How do I know? Because it is in an industry I care deeply about, I truly enjoy my coworkers, and getting stuff done is as natural as breathing. Don’t settle for anything less!”

Marty Speight (MBA ’96)
Associate Director of the Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services

When An Executive Recruiter Calls…

Published by Connie English on October 1, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Many executives get unsolicited calls from executive recruiters and are not sure how to react. Whether you are ready to make a move or not, the way you handle these calls is important. Executive recruiters, sometimes referred to as “headhunters,” are typically powerful connectors and should be seen as an integral part of your professional network.

Even if you are happy in your job and have no intention of changing companies, engaging with recruiters can enhance your career in several ways. Contact with executive recruiters can expose you to opportunities you would otherwise never know existed. It can also help you to help others. It can help you build your network as well as your reputation in your field or industry. So it makes sense to know how to respond and how to interact with executive recruiters.

Consider why the recruiter is calling you. Either you have been identified as a potential candidate or are expected to be connected to potential candidates. Someone who thinks highly of you may have recommended you, or you may have been identified to be in the target candidate pool based on previous experience or affiliation. The recruiter is reaching out with a positive and hopeful impression. You can parlay that into the start of a positive professional relationship, so work toward helping the recruiter with his current engagement.

It is important to know a bit about the recruiter. When a recruiter calls, be sure to ask for his/her name, recruiting firm and their website so you can establish authenticity. Understand the difference between a retained recruiter and one working on a contingency basis. Both are paid (about 1/3 of the first year salary) by the hiring company and, as such, work for the employer not the candidate. A retained recruiter will get paid regardless of the outcome of the search whereas a contingency recruiter only gets paid if s/he sources the successful candidate. Retained recruiters typically work on higher level searches and work very hard to nurture their relationships with executives at hiring companies, and thus are not so interested in speaking with random, irrelevant candidates. Contingent recruiters often “fish” with resumes – sending them out to everyone and expecting a fee if the company ends up hiring the candidate. As you talk to recruiters, be sure to put parameters on where and to whom they may present you, don’t give a carte blanche! (For more on the types of executive recruiters see the Alumni Career Services website.)

When fielding a call, try to make a good impression. Be articulate and cordial. Know that every conversation with a professional recruiter is an evaluative one. The ability to give a quick overview of your value proposition is invaluable when faced with unexpected inquiries. Gordon Grand III (MBA ’75), Managing Director/Partner and 28 year veteran at Russell Reynolds, suggests that you “ask the recruiter to send you the job spec so that you can think about it and call him back. If you are not interested, be thoughtfully helpful and suggest alternate candidates. In addition, let the recruiter know what kinds of things down the road you would be interested in.”

Credible executive recruiters should be very concerned with discretion. It is wise to establish ground rules on confidentiality during the first call and don’t send off your resume until you have sufficient information about the firm, their client, and the opportunity. Be honest about your level and your experience. You will need to discuss salary with the recruiter eventually, but if salary questions come up too quickly in the conversation, try to throw the question back at the recruiter asking for the proposed range of the position and confirming whether you’re in the same ball park. As in any kind of relationship, establishing trust early-on is critical.

The bottom line is, don’t avoid talking with executive recruiters. As stated in the book How to Work With Retained Executive Search Consultants: “Even if the call amounts to nothing, the information and help you have given can stand you in good stead for a relationship in the future.”

Connie Dato English MBA ’91
Director of the Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services

Focus Enables Fit – An Alumna’s Job Search Success Story

Published by Connie English on September 1, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

In the Fall of 2010, Jamala Massenburg (MBA’09) found herself a year into a job that just didn’t fit her talents, interests, and passions. She knew she needed to make a change away from data intensive consulting report production, but she wasn’t sure how to proceed.

As in any project or campaign, the first step in a job change should be the determination and articulation of the desired outcome. You must know what you are after to be able to develop a plan and implement it. An objective enables you to understand the barriers, opportunities, and how to get others to believe in you.

Focus is key, “after leaving my job in October of 2010 I spent a couple of months really thinking about what I wanted next,” Jamala recalls. She had enjoyed her early career as an engineer with Ford and now had recent experience in analyzing customer insights. She missed using her creativity, management and leadership skills, and was able to articulate her objective to be a product development position with a business-to-consumer organization marketing non-disposable products that required an educated purchasing decision. She also identified the type of organizations and possible locations. “Once I figured out what I wanted to look for, the rest just seemed that much easier. It’s harder to get distracted when you have more focus.”

Armed with a clear objective she developed a target list of companies, enacted her support systems and activated her network. She realized quickly that her search would be reliant on engaging others. “That was tough. It’s not that people didn’t want to help; I just had to learn how to approach them to show ‘how’ they could help me. I was most successful when I was able to ask questions to help them help me. Telling them the name of companies that I was looking at where they may know people that could tell me about the company. Also I found that just asking people questions about their type of work helped me to better focus. Every company is different so it was helpful to know where the function that I was interested was situated within an organization. I always made sure to let them know what I learned from the conversation and would ask to be able to follow up with them later.”

Jamala developed a system to help her keep track of her progress; recording highlights and actions she took from each conversation and marking a calendar for the next follow up with the person. “Having pre-determined assignments made the days easier.” She treated her search like a job: “I had to get up at the same time, setting my alarm, getting dressed and getting to ’work’ on a schedule.”

Maintaining energy during a search can be a challenge. Recognizing small accomplishments and utilizing a coach and support network can help. “There was about a month of just calling and making contacts without any interviews,” Jamala says. “I was encouraged to keep going because each week I was making more contacts, getting more comfortable speaking with new people and just feeling more confident.”

Regular check-ins with her coach from Darden Alumni Career Services also helped keep her on track. “I knew I was going to have to report out on my job search activities, that held me accountable.” Jamala also received encouragement from family and church friends, who reminded her to work hard at the search and take some time for herself too. “Once the interviews started up, that alone was enough encouragement to keep going as I could see the results of my work.”

Being focused also allowed Jamala to understand the perspective of potential employers. She needed to demonstrate her unique blend of creativity, customer insight, analytical thought, and initiative. To help her stand out, she developed an ‘artifact’ in a Resume2.0 presentation that she successfully shared in interviews. She knew her audience and was able to play directly to them.

The discipline and hard work paid off. Jamala ended up with a decision between two excellent offers in product development – both with target list companies. Her upfront ‘fit’ analysis also informed her decision process. “I began looking for a new job in earnest just after the New Year and started my new job at the end of April,” recalls Jamala, now a Program Manager for Leap Frog Enterprises.

Jamala’s Post Job Search Reflection:

The job search process is a daunting exercise, mentally. I really think it should be titled the “You Search” for some people. While the outcome is finding a job, I don’t consider the process successful if you just find ‘a job’. Anyone can find a job. What’s really key is finding the job that fits your interests, skills, and goals. Finding the right job that is going to set you or keep you on your personal trajectory for your career. If you want to be a pilot, working as an ad executive may not be the best choice. Yes it’s a job, one that is well-respected and pays wells, but it would be a hard sell when you’re trying to get that job as a pilot. The key point though is knowing that you want to be a pilot and that’s where the “you” part of the equation comes in. I’m glad that I spent so much time up front really thinking about what I wanted; it made it easier to weed out jobs that weren’t the best fit and gave me more confidence in my interviews.

Connie Dato English (MBA ’91)
Director of the Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services

Are You Social Media Savvy?

Published by Marty Speight on August 1, 2011 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

“Two-thirds of the world’s Internet population visits a social network or blogging site and the sector now accounts for almost 10% of all internet time,” according to a 2009 Neilson report. The use of member-based communities surpassed email that year to become the fourth most popular internet sector, behind search engines, portals and software applications. It’s clear that social media is having a profound impact on businesses, but what about the individual? How are you using social media, is it time ‘spent’ or time ‘invested’?

Developing a personal social media strategy for yourself can benefit professional growth and greatly enhance your traditional networking efforts. Your goals should include building a network of relevant connections, exposing your skills and expertise, and reinforcing your brand message. And, if you find yourself engaged in active job search, your network will be stronger and your search efforts easier having built an appropriate personal social media strategy.

Social Networking (aka Online Networking), is one aspect of social media, and it has gained enormous popularity and professional credibility. People use social networks to find people and share information, to connect and be found, to follow and be followed. However, the wide range of social networking options makes using social media effectively anything but simple. A comprehensive personal social media strategy could include any of the following:

  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Blogs
  • Twitter
  • Affinity Groups (usually based on industry, profession or geography)
  • e-Newsletters
  • Articles
  • CRM (Customer Relationship Management for your personal contacts)

The key to using social media successfully is to ensure that the tools you choose are used in a relevant and complementary way. How can you be savvy when using social media?

  1. Be consistent: The content you write and share on any platform needs to give your audience a sense of who you are and what you stand for – your “personal brand”. Your reputation, activity, and social media visibility all contribute to your brand message.
  2. Be thoughtful: Seek out and connect with key people who matter to your career (managers, mentors, clients, industry thought leaders, etc.); follow their lead for the best means to connect and find ways to participate in the conversation.
  3. Be choosy: Carefully select the groups you affiliate with online, and that goes for the groups you use on LinkedIn too. More isn’t necessarily better. Show your audience what your core focus is by affiliating with only key groups that matter to your personal brand.
  4. Be aware: Know how much time you are devoting to social media activities each week and review them to ensure you’re getting the professional benefit you seek; do you post something new on Facebook daily yet neglect to update LinkedIn with a recent professional change or accomplishment?
  5. Be realistic: Recognize the use of social media is not a substitute for simple, traditional networking. You still need to make and maintain relationships in your profession the ‘old-fashioned’ way – writing notes to stay in touch, finding opportunities for face-to-face meetings, joining professional groups and associations, attending and participating in conferences, etc. Your social media strategy should enhance your networking with appropriate online activities, but not replace it.

Does all this take a lot of time? You bet. But like anything else worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Once you set your specific goals, plan to ‘invest’ the time it takes to maintain your social media plan; a good starting point would include:

LinkedIn – brush up your profile, get good recommendations, review the groups you have joined, and monitor/respond to the career developments of your network partners (15-30 minutes weekly)

Facebook – tune your account to connect to the fun parts of your personality, your volunteer efforts, groups you support, etc. (20 minutes weekly)

Twitter – get going with a simple bio and maintain dialogs with relevant professional contacts (10 minutes daily)

Blogs– write about things you’re expert at; extend and promote your expertise with other tools such as Slideshare, YouTube, Flikr, Social Bookmarks, and others (30-60 minutes a week)

Of course, Darden should be part of your social networking portfolio as well. The online DardenCommunity can help you stay connected with classmates and affiliate with relevant “Groups” within our alumni base. Further, The Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services (ACS) at Darden provides free advice on all aspects of managing your career or job search. ACS has partnered with Jason Alba author, blogger and founder of JibberJobber.com to provide Darden Alumni with two video learning series: Social Networks for Job Seekers and LinkedIn. Click here to set up your free account and get instant access to the videos. For career management assistance, contact Alumni Career Services at alumnicareerservices@darden.virginia.edu.

Marty Speight (MBA ’96)
Associate Director of the Armstrong Center for Alumni Career Services