Salary Flexibility: Is it Enough?

Scenario: You are out of work and come across a job that you are clearly overqualified for. In fact this looks just like a position that you held five years ago. The salary that is posted is close to $20,000 less than what you were making in your last position. You have been out of work for close to three months and quite frankly, you would accept that salary. You hit the send button and forward your resume to the company.

So what happens now? In most cases, experienced recruiters will quickly review your resume and not call you in for an interview. The reason is pretty simple. While you are clearly qualified for the position, you represent a huge retention risk. The investment corporations make in training and orienting a new employee is considerable. In most cases the return on their hiring investment occurs sometime between year 1 and year 2. Recruiting professionals and hiring managers recognize that once the market rebounds (and the market WILL rebound), jobs will become more plentiful and employees that are underpaid will most likely leave.

There are other employers that will recognize these very points, but instead will look to maximize their investment by hopefully having a more productive and experienced employee on board for as long as they can. They are basically willing to accept the retention risk.

In speaking with a candidate today, he presented some compelling arguments that he wanted me to convey to my client. Here are some of those arguments and a few other suggestions you may want to consider using:

1. Stress the increased productivity that they will receive by having a more experienced person on staff.
2. Discuss any additional value that you may be able to offer that a lesser skilled hire could not provide. If this additional value is relevant to the employer, it may open their eyes to a new way of thinking.
3. Make some guarantee regarding the minimum length of employment that you are willing to commit to.
4. Offer a short trial period where the employer can see you and your experience in action. At the successful conclusion of this trial, employment could continue, roles and responsibilities potentially expanded, or salary revisited.

Corporations that are hiring in this marketplace recognize the difficulties that job seekers are facing. Ultimately their hiring decisions are based on the perceived value that prospective candidates offer. And therein lies your challenge…

Facebook and other online references – a word of warning

I have always taken pride in being an early adopter of new technologies and trends however I must admit that I am only now getting into Facebook. I am not sure if I truly get what this Facebook thing is all about. People leaving innocuous ditties about their lives, links to causes I have never heard about, hour by hour reflections on the weather and their health. With all of the unlimited phone plans is there any reason why people just don’t pick up the phone anymore? Don’t get me started on text messaging. Has anyone thought to do a study to find out what the impact will be on our society given that people are speaking with one another less and less frequently?

The only thing that worries me about the questions I raise is that I am starting to sound more and more like my parents. I actually made my son get a haircut when he got home from college this winter. I’m not sure if that was in reaction to his sloppy appearance or some hidden desire to have his hair length more in line with my rapidly receding hairline (OK I will admit it – it is more than just my hairline that is rapidly receding).

To bring this all back to some business relevance, here is a word of caution. Be careful what you post online. More and more of this information can be viewed by more and more people. If potential employers notice posts that raise questions or worse yet, red flags, it could endanger your employment opportunities. I always encourage people to google their names just to see what is out there. Once it appears on the Internet it can be very difficult to remove.

See you all on Facebook.

When Malware Strikes…

There are computer viruses and then there are computer viruses. My family computer was recently infected with the Spyguard 2008 virus and let me tell you – this is one nasty virus that takes over your Internet browser and can also forward password information to remote computers.

I tend to take these viruses as a challenge and resolve to personally rid these viruses from my computer. I ran Spybot. I ran Ad-Aware. I ran my anti-virus software. I did this in Normal mode, Safe mode, and Safe mode with Networking. No luck.

I researched this virus and found several postings with supposed tools that would remove Spyguard 2008. The only thing that these postings did not mention was that the Spyguard 2008 virus redirects any attempts to download these tools or access their web sites. Again, no luck.

I then found that there are anti-malware forums dedicated to help and in most cases, these forums and their forum staff provide their service at NO CHARGE.

I went to www.bleepingcomputer.com and followed the instructions on how to post my issue and then waited for a reply (4 days later). My knight in shining armor was from the Netherlands and was incredibly thorough and knowledgeable. Over the course of the next day and a half, I used 7 different tools and followed 18 different steps to rid my computer of this virus.

If you ever find yourself in a similar position keep the following web sites in mind:

www.bleepingcomputer.com
www.malwareremoval.com
www.geekstogo.com
www.majorgeeks.com

Job Search 911

Ladies and gentleman…hang on because this ride may be a little rough. We are in the midst of some tough economic times and the employment market has tightened considerably. Here is a quick brain dump of to-dos that you should consider if you are currently seeking a new opportunity.

1. Customize every resume that you submit for posted job opportunities. Yes it will take some additional time, however in many cases your resume is winding up in a resume database. The resume must use the same words that are found in the job description and stress all of your relevant experience for that particular position. If you adopt this strategy, your chances of being called in for an interview increase substantially.
2. Consider developing a version of your resume that de-emphasizes your industry experience but instead focuses on your core competencies and mastery. In today’s marketplace any candidate with a strong concentration of experience in financial services may be at a disadvantage. While it still makes sense to seek out opportunities in the financial services industry, prepare a copy of your resume that will appeal to opportunities in other industries.
3. Speak about the solutions that you have developed in general terms – “Worked closely with business stakeholders to analyze, design, and develop business process training that incorporated best practices and enabling applications.” – as compared to – “Created Fixed Assets self-instructional modules to teach commercial bankers to identify client's financial vulnerabilities and market appropriate solutions.”
4. Activate your “network of help.” This network of help will include former colleagues, managers, internal and external clients, friends, family, and the like. This is not the time to be shy. Let people know that you are seeking a new opportunity and check to see if they can help. Please do not forget that anyone that does help deserves to be re-paid in some manner.
5. Develop a Hit List of companies to target. This list should include companies that:
   · are competitors to your previous employers
   · have products and services that you are familiar with
   · have been reporting positive financial results
   · have been awarded significant contracts and grants
   · are major employers in your geographic region
   · you admire and would be interested in working for
6. Review the career pages from the web sites of the companies on your Hit List.
7. Review the career pages from the professional society web sites. Be sure to check the national and local chapter web sites. These societies include:
   · American Society for Training & Development: www.astd.org
   · International Society for Performance Improvement: www.ispi.org
   · Society for Human Resource Management: www.shrm.org
   · Organization Development Network: www.odnetwork.org
   · Society for Technical Communication: www.stc.org
   · Good Manufacturing Practices - Training and Education Association: www.gmptea.org
   · American Medical Writers Association: www.amwa.org
   · IEEE Professional Communication Society: http://ewh.ieee.org/soc/pcs/
   · Society of Insurance Trainers and Educators: www.insurancetrainers.org
8. Find someone that can help you manage and maintain a positive mood. This person can be a friend, business advisor, employment agency rep, or family member. The key here is to try and maintain a positive outlook during your job search. The cold hard truth is that your search may be difficult and make take longer than you desire. Maintaining a positive outlook will be critical in locating a new position. In my experience, job seekers that fall into moods of resignation, despair, and defeat find it exceedingly difficult to find new employment. During your job search obstacles will appear. Some resumes you send will result in an interview but more will not. Some companies will reply to your submission but most will not. The most effective person for this role will be able to recognize when your mood is slipping and will be able to offer coaching, support, and guidance. There are more methods that you can use to locate new opportunities than I can list. The key to maintaining a positive mood is to remain firmly grounded in the quality and caliber of the skills and experience that you can offer to a new employer AND to continually explore new avenues and methods that can help lead to your next opportunity. If you do not do this, someone else will.

DELL Computer: Customer (Dis)Satisfaction

OK – time for my first blog rant. Dell Computer has used up all of the good well that they had built over the past 10 years. I have been a faithful customer for my personal and business computer purchases however NEVER AGAIN!


Having dealt with numerous customer service and repair issues over the past 9 months, several themes are consistent in my dealings with Dell:

1. You NEVER get the person that you need to speak with on the phone the first time. On average it takes three phone transfers to get to someone that can actually help. It seems to be a game of attrition with Dell where they hope that a certain percentage of people just cry “UNCLE” and hang up.


2. Much is promised but little is documented…on two separate occasions I was promised refunds and credits for the trouble that I was experiencing. I took down the name of the person that I was speaking with however they were impossible to locate later on. Emails that were promised to be forwarded documenting the phone calls never arrived.


3. It is all outsourced…and in the great majority of cases the communication skills of these off-shore workers is poor at best. The corporate executives at Dell must know this but are clearly committed to something other than satisfying their customers (HINT: $$$).


4. Dell’s out-sourced customer service reps all possess names that cannot be understood. I have come to appreciate the off-shore customer service reps that answer the phone, “Thank you for calling Dell. My name is undecipherable but you can call me Thomas.”


5. I defy you to try and get the name of someone based in the US to help in the Customer Service department. The off-shore staff will not provide this info and after a half-hour trying to find the name of someone to call I gave up (see attrition comment above).


6. A percentage of Dell’s profits are expected to come from dissatisfied customers that get lazy, sloppy or just plain tired. I was overcharged on two occasions for service repairs and it took considerable effort to track down the people that needed to correct the problem. (Additional information on Item 1 above: It takes 5 phone transfers to get a refund at Dell).

As an aside…I am very happy with the HP desktop that I recently purchased and the service that I have received from their Customer Service department. A good portion of their operations appear to be off-shored as well but they just seem much nicer and committed to helping.


I invite you to join my one-man crusade to bring down the Dell Empire…

When the Internet Job Sites Just Aren’t Working…

…you need to get creative and take alternative actions. Here are five tried and true steps that you can take that may help you uncover the harder-to-find job opportunities.

1. http://www.jobcentral.com/ – Unlike Monster, Hotjobs, and Careerbuilder, jobcentral.com spiders corporate career pages and pulls job openings. A search on jobcentral.com will uncover positions that exist on corporate sites but not necessarily on the more popular job sites.

2. Professional society job pages – Almost every major professional society will have a Career or Jobs section on their web sites. While most job seekers will check the main society sites, many will not check the local chapter web sites. In many instances these local chapters will have job postings not found on the society’s main web site. Be sure to check out: http://www.astd.org/, http://www.ispi.org/, http://www.shrm.org/, http://www.odnetwork.org/.

3. Attend professional society meetings. At most meetings members are given an opportunity to make announcements and you can often hear about job opportunities that aren’t otherwise published or promoted.

4. Leverage your professional society investment. Most professional societies will provide an online directory of members. In some cases, these members can represent a pipeline to consulting and permanent job opportunities.

5. Scour corporate career pages. Here are the steps that I would take to maximize my time investment.

** Develop a list of the corporations that are the major employers in your area

** Develop a list of the corporations in your area that are the major employers within the industries that you have worked (you are most marketable to these corporations)

** Develop a list of corporations in your area that appear to be doing well (increased stock price, positive press, awarding of contracts, etc.)

** Visit the career pages of the corporations on your list to see what jobs they may have posted.

** Submit your resume or better yet attempt to speak with a hiring manager within the corporation (HINT: don’t forget about those membership directories).

A Time for Reflection

I just returned from an incredibly relaxing family vacation in Mexico. Having the opportunity to kick-back, relax and just spend time with family was rewarding and rejuvenating. For years I was in a heads-down, white knuckle, business-first mode and admittedly lost sight of the importance of spending quality time with my family and allowing myself some much deserved R&R.

When I founded KnowledgeStaff one of the resolutions that I made was that I was going to structure the business in a way that gave me more balance between my personal and professional commitments. I am happy to say that thus far, I have been very successful in honoring that resolution and that as a result, my family relationships and mental well-being are better than they ever have been. It is just plain working.

With my back against a lounge chair, a frozen margarita in my hand and the beautiful ocean in front of me I remember having three distinct thoughts:

The first was the importance of spending this quality time with my family away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life…this time is precious and should be enjoyed whenever possible by everyone

The second was the realization that from time to time I just need some time for myself to leave all of the issues of business behind and allow myself some time to relax and recharge my body. As I near 50 years of age this is becoming more and more important (did I really say 50?)

And finally, a confirmation of the importance of working with true professionals that get the job done – no matter what. At no point during my trip did I have any concerns that everything at work was being taken care of. I cannot tell you how liberating this is and in fact, it was these very people that allowed me to have the great time that I did. The hiring of great people is so important to not just getting the job done but to also creating any sense of balance between your personal and professional commitments.

I challenge you to take an objective look at the people around you to see if they allow you to have the type of freedom and peace of mind that I had on my recent vacation.

If they do, CONGRATULATIONS on doing a great job of identifying great employees and be sure to keep them happy.

If they do not, what actions are necessary to right the ship?

Enjoy the rest of your summer!