CM Access

(I just read about how blog post subject lines are supposed to be really great in order to grab and hold a reader’s attention, and yet…that will have to do!)

I wanted to put in a plug for next weekend’s PodCamp Philly! It’s really going to be a fantastic weekend, as the organizers have done such a terrific job of getting sponsors, and ensuring that this event, on the anniversary of the first PodCamp (Boston)–the idea of which has spread across the globe to include PodCamp Perth (Australia) and PodCamp Capetown (South Africa)–will be spectacular!

I’m also really excited that CM Access is going to be a part of it, since we definitely acknowledge how much we have to learn from the talented, technologically-advanced professionals in the new media space. And for those of you who’ve been craving another CreativeCamp to get all your inspired thoughts out in the open, we’re having a miniCreativeCamp session on Saturday of PodCamp.

If there are topics you’d like to discuss, questions you want to ask, or just want to know what the heck this PodCamp thing is all about, definitely come on down to this free event! First 350 registrants get a free tshirt, and I’ll be there, so come find me!! More information, and SIGN UPis at this wiki site.

Oh, and in case you can’t make it down to our city of Brotherly Love, PodCamp Boston is in October, and you can bet there will be a major turn out for that one!

Technorati Tags: podcamp philly, networking, podcasting, blogging, CreativeCamp, Philadelphia, PodCamp Boston

Ever wonder what it’s like to be the person conducting an interview, instead of just the person showing up on time? Surprisingly, even those who’ve been employed for a while might not have had the opportunity to interview potential new employees for their team. But, companies are increasingly realizing the need for the right people to be hired, not just anyone, and that involves having a more thorough interview process.

A good friend of mine recently went through this process, and provided me an interesting story about his first experience on the other side of the table.

“I never realized when I was looking for a job myself how important it is to evaluate the fit for the position from anything other than just ‘please hire me and give me a chance’. It’s really the best time to ensure that the position for which you are applying is really a good fit.”

I’ve said time and time again that you have to really have your ears and eyes open at the interview to assess if it’s really a viable opportunity. Don’t just take the first thing that comes along because if you leave 5 months later, you’ll have some ’splaining to do!

“This candidate interviewed first with the head of our unit, who explained the big picture of what the group does and what his role would be. After this, a project manager took over, perhaps explaining in more detail. When I entered the room, the PM said ‘This is my coworker, he actually does the job you’re interviewing for, so he can explain better than I can.’ I thought it was really valuable to be able to walk this candidate through a typical day for me, rather than just selling him on the company. I went out of my way to highlight the worst parts of the job on the assumption that it was better for him to learn about them now rather than after he had accepted. Too often a candidate would accept a position only to quit three weeks later.”

My friend was also able to more accurately assess the right personality and background, since the management may not understand that a particular educational skillset might be insufficient for the effective accomplishment of the project. ie. a technical background for a proprietary software application position might be detrimental because the person would come with expectations apart from the product’s functionality.

Just a final note of my own: this process is not unique-many large companies are more likely to have multiple rounds of an interview, involving multiple team members, in order to more thoroughly assess a match. It’s important to consider how you conduct yourself in each case, and trust your own instinct: if you’re not getting a positive vibe from one of your interviewers, maybe you should take a step back and assess if it’s the kind of opportunity you really want.
And if you’ve never sat on the other side of the interviewing table, and know how important it is to get the RIGHT person in your office, look into doing some mock interviews. It will help!

Technorati Tags: interviewing process, interview

(I can tell you they aren’t reading this thinking: “you’re not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition!”)

Let me explain why I feel the need for lazy people to be identified: day in and day out I realize that a lot of people, job seekers in particular, are more apathetic and less proactive than they should be.

While applications online are often aimed at being as easy, convenient and quick as possible, is that really the best way to show your interest in a job or a company? Guaranteed you or someone you know has said “I tried to apply online but it took FOREVER!”

Could the tedious steps be part of the screening process for the company or corporation who’s hiring? If a candidate isn’t willing to even fill out the whole application, they probably wouldn’t be willing to follow through on their responsibilities in a new position…

Now, my personal suggestion is that if a company is serious about hiring GOOD people, and not just someone “alive and breathing” for their team, a phone number should be set up and a person should be employed fulltime to field those calls. This receptionist (in that they are receiving the calls) should know the company brand inside and out, should truly understand what the role requires, and not only would then be able to identify quality candidates, but also maintain that brand’s standards and reputation because no one is saying “oh, they never responded to my application.” This is laziness on the part of the hiring side. And while I’d like to say “why would you want to work for a company that doesn’t pay attention to their candidates?” but it’s so prevalent that a rule can’t be made…

There’s a funny story Seth Godin relates here, which he calls the Blind Squirrel problem. “Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes.”

So sometimes a company hires an amazing candidate through their CraigsList posting, and sometimes people get great jobs by applying on Craigslist. But it shouldn’t be the most proactive thing you do for your job search.

Technorati Tags: blind squirrel, Seth Godin, laziness, proactivity

New grads, be aware of the challenges you’re facing whether they’re blatant or latent.

I’m often asked what I would suggest to new college graduates or young professionals to make their job search and career path what they’ve always dreamed. And for fear of being touted as a “hater”, I’m going to share a recently published article in the Business Journal about an internet survey (by the Internet Business Pulse Survey) asking readers to give a letter grade to the work ethic of the recent graduates who were hired in their companies. I was disappointed, being closer to the “recent graduate” age than the “experienced professional” one, to see that all the responses were negative.

The pie chart in the column showed that out of 174 respondants, 31% gave their recent grad new-hires a C, which, if you’ve been out of school too long, means average. Only 20.5% got an A grade.

Here are some of the quoted responses:
“Their attention to detail is horrible. Careless mistakes abound.”
“Recent graduates are not go-getters. They sit around and wait for someone to tell them what to do, or wait for someone to do it for them like their parents have done through their high school and college educations.”
“It would be nice if the majority of them could write in complete, correct sentences.”

Ouch! I mean, considering that almost every single resume and cover letter I receive from college graduates includes “excellent written and verbal communication skills” as an asset. Are these candidates lying or just not aware of how they measure up? Are these critiques overly harsh and generalized?

I’m sure some measure of ageism is evident, because each generation thinks their’s is better than another. “Kids these days have it so easy” and so forth. But there is something to be said about all of our technology creating a culture of convenience, and things that take a little effort are almost entirely avoided: I recently met someone who seemed astonished that a job search could be expanded to include resources other than Craigslist or Monster.com.

I find it precarious to be in between the professional world, where I see first-hand how valuable it is to ACTUALLY be a decent writer, and to handle yourself professionally with management; and to be a part of the technology generation who does find it easy to be distracted by gadgets and gizmos, and e-mail.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure what the answer is. But I do recommend to recent grads to continue working to differentiate themselves, to continue working to learn about themselves and their position within the marketplace (of job seekers) and to continue working to build professional relationships. (This is where talking to recruiters and career coaches, or advocates like at CM Access, can be very informative!) Then, the right job and the career path become evident on their own.

Technorati Tags: recent grad job search, ageism, work ethic

Ever send an email and as you’re clicking “ok” or “send” or “enter” you realize, almost in slow motion (a sound effect or comedic impression which I will not attempt to spell here), that you were sending it the wrong person??? Or that you had a seriously incriminating error, or embarassing typographic mistake, or were forwarding to someone instead of replying to someone else?

Sure, you have. And the more frequently you use email (especially Outlook, with that PESKY auto-fill address field!), the more risk you run of experiencing a meltdown.

Ever wish you could hit a couple of keystrokes and erase the last thing you did? Sending the wrong email, and wishing you could retract it with a simple “Ctrl + Z” clicks? Unfortunately, life doesn’t work like that. But, in regards to that business function that’s become intrinsic to professional success (email), there is some help available!

I just read “Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home” but David Shipley and Will Schwalbe. They have a pretty neat little blog/site, too at ThinkBeforeYouSend.

The book makes some excellent points about why, culturally, we’re prone to being a bit too informal when emailing, we tend to misread tone and intention, and why we often expect things to happen a lot faster, simply because of the convenience of sending an electronic mail.

I’m not going to paraphrase their book, but I HIGHLY recommend it. I’m going to go so far as to say that if you don’t have a business writing course while in college, you should read this prior to, or during, your internship or first job. It’s important to get a primer on etiquette, even if, like me, you’re a part of the technologically-advanced generation.

I promise, you won’t want to “Ctrl + Z” your time spent reading the book. (ha. ha.)

Technorati Tags: Send, Email Etiquette, Will Schwalbe, David Shipley, retractions