San Diego Jobing Community Blogs

Thinking about you career in HR and your future?  Many feel that receiving national certification from the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) is a great next step for their careers.   If you are considering this option… here are some facts you should know- THE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS ARE CHANGING!

 There are 4 types of certifications available…

• PHR® (Professional in Human Resources)
• SPHR® (Senior Professional in Human Resources)
• GPHR® (Global Professional in Human Resources)
• PHR-CA® and SPHR-CA® (PHR with state certification in California and SPHR with state certification in California )

Certification is a voluntary action by a professional group to establish a system to grant recognition to professionals who have met a stated level of training and work experience. Certified individuals are usually issued a certificate attesting that they have met the standards of the credentialing organization and are entitled to make the public aware of their credentialed status, usually through the use of initials (i.e., PHR or SPHR) after their names. Certifications differ from certificate programs because certifications include an experience component. Certificate programs, on the other hand, award certificates once a course of study has been completed and do not require previous work experience (www.hrci.org.)  

HRCI has made public that they are changing the eligibility requirements for who can sit for their exams.  These changing requirements will begin in 2011!  Currently, to be eligible to sit for the PHR, SPHR and GPHR exam, candidates must have at least two years of exempt-level (professional) HR work experience.

Only two years exempt HR level experience… no problem, Right?!  Well, in 2011… that experience will not be enough.  Here is what the eligibility requirements will be starting with the 2011 May/June testing window. 

The NEW ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

PHR Eligibility

• 1 year of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher
• 2 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
• 4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree

SPHR Eligibility

•4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher
• 5 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with a Bachelor’s degree
• 7 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience with less than a Bachelor’s degree

GPHR Eligibility

• 2 years of demonstrated global exempt-level HR experience with a Master’s degree or higher
• 3 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience (with 2 of the 3 being global HR experience) with a Bachelor’s degree
• 4 years of demonstrated exempt-level HR experience (with 2 of the 4 being global HR experience) with less than a Bachelor’s degree

http://www.hrci.org/certification/docs/hrci-mr-tab2-1461.htm

Not sure if certification is the right move for you… check out the HR Jobs available online…  these days (especially in San Diego County ) we are seeing more and more employers requesting that their HR applicants be PHR certified at a minimum.  Even those HR Professionals in the most secure positions need to be proactive in keeping themselves marketable. 

The San Diego Employers Association (SDEA) helps HR Professionals prepare for their Certification Exams year after year. For more information go to www.sdea.com.  The new PHR/SPHR Prep. Course starts January 27th at the SDEA Learning Center in Poway.  Sign up today before it is too late!

  SDEA is now on Facebook. Become a Fan!

Join SDEA today on the world’s largest social networking site: FACEBOOK!

SHRM Foundation has launched a new product, Recruiting and Attracting Talent. Hiring talented individuals is critical to an organization's success. This new SHRM Foundation report offers specific recommendations on developing an effective external recruiting program. This report is free and can be found at the SHRM website at www.shrm.org/about/foundation/products. The SHRM Foundation Effective Practice Guidelines series makes research findings easily accessible to HR practitioners. The reports provide practical, research-based guidelines for implementing effective HR practices in your organization.

Do you do candidate selection based on any type of testing?  Some common tests include computer skills testing for Word, Excel and Outlook.  The standard typing test to assess speed and accuracy is another popular one.  Even many organizations have moved into testing the skills that are specific to the job function (IE: Telephone skills, Customer Services Skills and physical machine operation.)  Not a bad idea since “The percentage of people who lie to potential employers is substantial, says Sunny Bates, CEO of New York-based executive recruitment firm Sunny Bates Associates. She estimates that 40% of all resumes aren’t altogether aboveboard.”

There is a potential problem for those companies using pre-employment testing…  and, as usual in any employment situation, the problem lies in the ability to be consistent.  Organizations must consistently deliver the candidate testing and consistently interpret the results. Sounds easy enough…  But, what happens when there has to be an exception.

Let’s look at an example.  As you will see the potential for EEOC claims in our example become much larger than just in the testing practices. You have sales and marketing department for which you need an Operations Manager.  The hiring Executive has told you they need the  following:

1. The ideal candidate will have an accounting background including a minimum of an associates degree.

2. The ideal candidate will have at least 8 years prior experience in an office environment including 4 years of management experience.

3. The ideal candidate will test at an Expert Level on Outlook, Word and Excel. (Yep, a certificate of proof is necessary.)

4. The ideal candidate will be able to type 60+ words per minute. (Yep, include the certificate for this too.)

Of course there are many other qualifications that the management is looking for the in the ideal candidate. But, for this example, we will stick to the four. You run the ad requesting resumes to be sent to you.  Because you live in So Cal and it is the end of 2009 your in-box is about instantly flooded. Hundreds and hundreds of resumes come in.  You shut down the ad  after 450 resumes- surely one will be your ideal candidate.

You begin filtering.  Ok, 275 did not include any/all certificates verifying skill levels as you required.  Those get tossed to the side.  You have 175 left.  You continue to filter…  Typing Certificate says 48 WPM, Excel level is Above Average, No prior management experience, no minimum associates degree.  Whew, after all the filtering you, you are down to 10 candidates.

Now, for our example our Senior Hiring Executive has been out there doing his own “candidate search” via his friends/colleagues network and found his own candidate that he likes.  (This example works the same if none of the 10 candidates end up being the “right” match and you go back to the other 440 for more to interview.)  Now the candidate he likes has the prior experience, but only 3 in management and does not have a degree.  And, because it is a hand selected candidate the hiring executive does not require this candidate to provide the testing results.  This Hiring Executive decrees this is the perfect candidate and moves them to the offer/orientation process.

Does this sound familiar? Despite your best candidate selection process and filtering… candidates still seem to make it in without ever having gone through you?

Here is the big problem that most do not think about in this process… because the selected candidate was not required to have the skills listed in the job posting… now, everyone that sent their resume for that job opening that did not have the qualifications should not have been considered as potential candidates.   So, if one of those candidates felt that they didn’t get the job because of their race, sex, etc… the can go to the EEOC.  And, while the EEOC does their investigation… they will uncover all of the resumes you have that were not considered and will identify them because they are in a protected class.  And, now your open position for $60,000 annually is costing you 450K to pay out for the 245 in the protected classes that were never considered for the position.

The potential is there for something as simple as a Typing Test and minimum words per minute.  You said you needed candidates to type 75 words per minute.  But the candidate you selected (perfect in every other way) only types 60 words per minute.  Now, you are open to possible discrimination charges because of all of those that type 60 words per minute that were not selected and just so happen to be in a protected class.

Coach you managers to understand that they need to protect the organization from EEOC claims… and that means when determining qualifications for the perfect candidate, they HAVE to stick to them.  It will be a hard discussion to have with your Senior VP that insists on hiring their nephew fresh out of college for that seasoned position… But, point out that you are saving the company hundreds of thousands and numerous headaches.  If they don’t believe you, simply point them to the EEOC website to read Headline after Headline of the extraordinary settlements paid by those organizations who go up against the EEOC for discrimination.

All of a sudden, an argument erupts out of nowhere.   If you are employed, you dread coming home, and if you are unemployed you dread the question “what did you do today?”   Does this sound familiar in your house? 

An article in the New York Times, gives some good examples of family situations caused by unemployment.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/us/12families.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&th&emc=th

The tension created by extended unemployment is taking its toll on family relationships.  How does this happen? 

When someone loses a job, there is often a lingering doubt about ability or personality that may have contributed to being let go, even when we can objectively point to the economy as the real reason.  Why was I the one let go vs. someone else?  The longer the unemployment, the louder the doubts become, eroding self-esteem and affecting behavior.  Your patience is shorter, your tolerance level for stress is lower, you may be isolating yourself or lashing out. You are suffering and so are those around you. 

The same questions of competency, willingness, caring for the family unit start to surface in your spouse, and in the children as well.  

Role reversal is one area of conflict.  If Dad loses his job, it may be nice to have him around the house more, but it changes the family power dynamics.  Budgeting and finance decisions, caring for and discipline of the kids, daily chores and responsibilities become areas of contention when the family dynamics change.    Dad is perceived as weaker, Mom has to pick up the slack, which she resents, and the kids wonder who is really in charge and what the future may hold for them.  

Conflict usually does not bring people together, it separates them.  We look for reasons to explain what happened, someone to blame. 

So, what can we do about it?  

I don’t have the answer, but personal experience has taught me that open, honest communication can help.  Is this easy?  NO.  But it can be beneficial.  If we can be open and vulnerable enough to be honest about fears, ask for help, accept our shortcomings and try to learn from them, try to be more flexible in our reactions, show compassion, change the attitude to “one for all and all for one” we can come out stronger on the other side.  I’ve seen this transformation and truly believe in it. 

What is the bigger picture?  As a company or a country, if our collective self-esteem takes a hit, the same responses as the family occur.  We may lower our expectations, lower our standard of living, lose momentum in innovation, and lose our standing in the world.

So, what’s the message here?  Be kind to yourself and your loved ones.  Be open to change, and don’t give up!

In today’s business world, the climate has definitely changed.

Certainly, your organization has changed along with these economic times.

To stay current with this ever-changing world, you must ask questions such as:

How do you approach restructuring strategically so that your current workforce remains positive and productive and focuses on the future?

How do you promote trust with your customers?

How do you build a genuine and open environment in a climate of trust?

SDSU’s College of Extended Studies will help answer these questions – and others – during a "How to Rebuild Trust after Downsizing" training & development exchange Friday, December 11, 8:30-10:30 am , in the SDSU Extended Studies Center .

This workshop will help you create a strategy for (re-)building trust in your organization, as well as help you define important questions you must ask and steps you must take to ensure that employees and customers can have confidence in the organization and where it is headed.

 Key takeaways will include learning how trust is a strategic issue in an organization by:

Analyzing behaviors that impact the workplace and cause lack of trust

Learning how to establish a common language to address issues precipitated by downsizing

Identifying personal strategies and methods to increase trust in your organization

Evaluating how trust impacts customer reactions and ultimately results

Presenters include:

Cynthia Olmstead, the CEO of TrustWorks Group, Inc., who has more than 30 years of organizational development and training experience. She helped develop TrustWorks to assist leaders and teams by teaching them proactive ways to manage conflict, improve communications skills – and ultimately build a culture of trust.

Rose Avila, Ph.D., RMA Consulting, who has more than 20 years of experience and success in helping people become top performers and achieve quality results. Her clients work in all sizes of businesses in a cross section of industries, from start-ups to billion dollar corporations, as well as public and private companies and non-profits and municipalities.

For more information, call (619) 594-1138, email traindeve-CES@sdsu.edu or visit www.neverstoplearning.net/TD

It’s a great way to spend Friday morning!

This past year, I have been on the front lines of our economic meltdown – assisting layoffs, holding career workshops, talking with the media and have been able to witness transformations within our society and within individuals.   It has been an incredibly challenging time for many people where their world has been turned upside down and they have truly have had to reinvent themselves in a new world where newspapers are dying, financial institutions are crumbling, and the new way is not completely clear yet.   

I feel that my role in this process has been to be the beacon of light and the calm in the storm, because I can see in each person I meet with whether that is helping them through a career transition from a layoff, financial bankruptcy, and even more common from a job that they hate to finding a job that they love – I see that each person is unique with incredible gifts and talents to offer to the world.  The key is to help to them reconnect or maybe for the first time connect with that and believe in themselves and go out in the world with a clear message of what they want to do and present that with energy, enthusiasm and confidence.   I have seen clients go from complete devastation to joy and fulfillment that in their breakdown of a layoff or whatever the condition may be – they have been able to really connect to their passion and purpose.  In fact, most people who come to me are no longer satisfied with just the grind, the paycheck – they want to figure out how they can take their true strengths and talents and translate that into how can they make the biggest impact in their community, the nation and sometimes the world.   

What I have seen from this process is a stronger sense of community and connections where people are really coming together to support each other and step outside themselves and think how can I do something bigger than themselves.   I feel a whole new sense of awareness of the incredible greatness within people – I have one client who took 2 years off to build an orphanage in South Africa and now has returned to the United States to use his leadership skills to make the biggest social impact that he is capable of, I see a 16 year old high school student who feels that no one should have to live in poverty and has founded a non-profit , I see galas sold out to support amazing social causes, I see incredible acts of kindness to support those in need.  

Can you imagine our quickly our economy recovery can happen if we can all tap into our passion, strengths and continue to support each other and search for ways that we can all make the greatest social impact.  What is your calling?  How will you change the world?  How can you take a breakdown in your life and turn it into a breakthrough?   

If you feel the need for support, please look into these resources below.

www.careerswithwings.com/view/resources.aspx

Marcy Morrison is a Career Strategist and owner of Careers With Wings(www.careerswithwings.com).  Marcy is passionate about helping others find their dream career via speaking engagements, media appearances, workshops/training, one-on-one sessions and her book "Finding Your Passion:  An Easy Guide to Your Dream Career”(www.myeasycareerguide.com).  “Finding Your Passion” is filled with inspirational stories of people living their passion along with practical, interactive tools of how to live your passion.  Sign up on Marcy’s website to receive information of how you can start living your passion through your career now (www.careerswithwings.com).  Marcy is equally dedicated to her vision of giving children and communities opportunities – or wings – to rise above poverty.  She serves on the advisory board of the Just Like My Child Foundation(www.justlikemychild.org) and donates 10 percent of her earnings to the organization.  Marcy received San Diego 's North County Philanthropy Association's Volunteer Award for her work.

Linkedin is the number one Social Networking site for professionals on the Internet with over 60 million users. A growing number of Green companies and professionals are using Linkedin to conduct business and make connections. If you are interested in a career in the Green industry or promoting a Green business then this workshop is for you.

Green professionals and job seekers will learn how to create, update manage and use important features of Linkedin to effectively promote their skills and business to the world. Attendees will receive "Insider" information that will help them get the most out of the must-have business tool.

Topics that will be covered:

    * Why Linkedin?
    * Your Linkedin Profile - create, manage and key features
    * Linkedin Groups
    * Linkedin Events
    * Contact Management
    * Linkedin Applications
    * Communication Strategies
    * Building Effective Networks

Cost and Registration: $29 prepaid online at http://greenlinkedin.eventbrite.com/

This seminar will be held at the

California Center for Sustainable Energy
8690 Balboa Ave., Suite 100
San Diego
CA
92123-1502

Did I mention, Pizza and soft drinks will be provided!

See you there!

 

P.S. You may want to bring a laptop with you, you'll be able to immediately put our tips and tricks into action.

This week I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association Conference in Colorado Springs, CO. At the annual conference, outstanding employees in the hotel & lodging industry are recognized for exceptional service in their respective areas of expertise. If you’ve traveled in Colorado you’ve likely met some of these service providers. They are the people who go out of their way to make guests feel “at home” while on the road and include bellman, concierges, reception desk staff, chefs, etc.

The evening before the award dinner I heard about one particularly outstanding employee …. Ken Wall of Doubletree Grand Junction. If memory serves correctly, Ken has worked at the property for 19 years. In that time he has not missed a single day of work, has never been late and has not been the recipient of a single disciplinary action. Ken is a “getter done” guy who is committed to exceptional service and making life easier for others.

Here’s the challenge……and the story as I heard it from several sources…..I-70, the highway leading from Grand Junction to Denver/Colorado Springs was closed. If I-70 is impassable it would be really unsafe and unwise to attempt any other way down the mountain. It looked like Ken would miss the conference….and the presentation of his award for outstanding service.

The owner of the Doubletree Grand Junction property is in the Denver area and was already at the conference. When he heard about Ken’s predicament he immediately went into action. Ken arrived later that evening…….by plane. The property owner recognized the importance of going above and beyond for Ken.…..just as Ken had gone above and beyond for so many guests over the previous 19 years.

My reaction to this story as it was relayed to me….in a word: Goosebumps.

If you want your employees to go the extra mile for your customers…..go the extra mile for them.

Are you holding yourself to the same standard you expect of all employees?

May all your Endeavors be Insightful,

Nora A Burns, SPHR


p.s. Next time I’m in Grand Junction ….. I’ll be staying at the Doubletree. They have earned my business by displaying exceptional leadership.

Did you know that most colleges and universities will start the spring semester in January 2010?

For the past couple of months, I have been getting more and more inquires in how to get started in re-careering and re-educating. 

The re-educating question means going back to school.  So as I researched this question, the answer was basically that a lot of people didn’t even know -- that there were colleges located right in their own back yard.

In order to help my clients as well as possibly help you, I compiled a list of websites for our local colleges.  Please review these links and then review the questions at the end of this blog.

Hopefully you can use them to get started back in school.

CSU San Marcos = http://www.csusm.edu/

Cuyamaca College = http://www.cuyamaca.edu/

Grossmont College = http://www.grossmont.edu/

MiraCosta College = http://www.miracosta.edu/

Miramar College = http://www.sdmiramar.edu/

Palomar College http://www.palomar.edu/

San Diego City College = http://www.sdcity.edu/

San Diego Mesa College = http://www.sdmesa.sdccd.cc.ca.us/

Southwestern College = http://www.swccd.edu/

San Diego State = http://www.sdsu.edu/

University of San Diego (USD) =  http://www.sandiego.edu/

UC San Diego (UCSD) = http://www.ucsd.edu/

NOTE:  National University, Phoenix University, Alliant, and other Private College are on line as well.

Do you need or want to go back to school?  If your answer is yes to one of the following questions, then it’s time to get signed up.

I NEED COLLEGE FOR;

Re-Career

Re-Train

Finish my A/A Degree

Finish my B/A (or ) B/S Degree

Become better on the Computer

Take a fun class like Art, or Swimming

Get my Motorcycle License

Become a Notary

Become a School Teacher

Get my Masters Degree

If I can help you get started, please let me know!!! 

Coach Eddie 

Last week I created a post that discussed how to source job leads using TwitterJobSearch, locate targeted companies, and create a targeted company list. For this post I will discuss how you can locate job leads using TweetMyJobs and have your resume tweeted every 24 hours (if you choose to do so). Next week I will discuss how to determine if specific companies are on Twitter and to potentially view relevant tweets from company insiders.

Below I will discuss how to create an account on TweetMyJobs, subscribe to the desired job channels (by location and industry), and have openings automatically sent to your cell phone. I will discuss how you can also view these openings under the Job Listings link of TweetMyJobs.

1. Visit www.tweetmyjobs.com, click on Sign Up (if you are new to TweetMyJobs), fill out your profile, click on the link provided in the TweetMyJobs activation email (you’ll receive), and afterwards log in.

2. Click on the Enter your Twitter id/password in Account tab link (under Job Seeker Dashboard on the Home page), input your Twitter username and password, and click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

3. Select the Subscribe to Job Channels link or click the Job Channels link at the top center of the page, select the appropriate location (country, state, or city/state) in the left drop down box, select the appropriate job function (such as energy) in the right drop down box, click Filter list, and click on the green button (with the white plus sign) to subscribe to this channel.

Repeat this process to subscribe to more relevant job channels. Once you have established your channels, click the Job Listings link at the top center of the page, view the number of listings, and make any job channel adjustments. For example, I changed the location filter from Texas to Dallas, Texas to reduce the number of postings.

4. Select the Public Profile link at the top center of the page and create your profile by providing your contact information; links to your website, blog, LinkedIn profile, and/or other social media sites; profile title and objective; employment preferences; and text and MS Word resumes. If you do not want to receive text messages for relevant jobs, do not include your cell phone number in your profile.

If you choose to do so, you can tweet your resume every 24 hours by clicking on the blue Twitter icon located above your public profile under the Public Profile link. You can also submit it by clicking on the Home link, the Tweet or retweet your profile to the twittersphere link (under the Job Seeker Dashboard), and the Click Here to Send It!! link.

5. Click the Job Listings link at the top center of the page, click on a job posting of interest, and click on the Apply to this job button. Afterwards, you will be directed to the company’s website where you can apply. Also after clicking on a job posting, you can click the blue tweet button to view the original tweet and follow the individual who tweeted the job (by clicking on the individual’s twitter name and the follow button).

You can place these individuals in a dedicated list located under your main Twitter account or in the same targeted company list.

If you want to locate jobs on Twitter by a specific city or zip code, you can visit www.twitterjobcast.com. You can either locate all jobs or certain jobs in a specific zip code.

If you have not done so, I recommend you listen to Duncan Mathison’s “How to Conduct an Effective Holiday Job Search,” BTR Show. This show is excellent. Click here: http://tiny.cc/JedZR to listen.

As we approach the end of the year, naturally we begin to review the events of the year as well as think ahead to the upcoming year. I think that most of us would agree that 2009 has had its set of challenges. The economy has been tough!  Personally, when I launched my business full time in January, I had contracts set that would have made it my best year ever.  However, as you might be able to guess, that is not what occurred! 

 I experienced such challenges as contracts being cut and scheduled classes being cancelled (sometimes with only 24 to 48 hours notice!), resulting of course in reduced income.  Then in keeping with Murphy’s Law… “If anything can go wrong it will” the sump pump on my property went out and needed to be replaced, the dryer broke and had to be replaced, and then of course there was the skateboarding accident with my 10 year old, when she cracked her two front teeth! So needless to say this has been a tough year. It’s tough to keep to a planned budget when your income drops and your expenses increase!

My strategy for surviving these challenges has been to keep my eye on my main goal “to grow my business and provide value driven service” (this is driven in part by the desire to feed the children and keeping the lights on, in the roof over our head). I have managed to keep my sanity most of the time b y focusing on what’s most important.  In order to do that however, you must have done the work so you know what’s most important.  I have done much work on goal setting in my personal life, and as I launched my business full time, I did the work to develop a strategic plan so I would be crystal clear on my business priorities. 

 According to an article in the September 2009 Harvard Business Review, “How Strategy Shapes Structure” http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/2009/09/how-strategy-shapes-structure/ar/1 we can apply the concepts of business strategy to many aspects of work and life, from job search to business development to family management. With a clear strategy, we can provide the much needed structure we need to survive challenging times.

I developed a Strategic Goal Setting Worksheet  as a tool to assist in the process.  I am a visual learner and like to see the “Big Picture” all on one page. In short, the process involves focusing on one overarching goal, such as “Grow my Business”, then defining three to five strategic goal categories, such as:

1) Product Development

2) Marketing Strategy

3) Administrative Management

4) Client Service

The next step is to identify specific action steps for each category and who is responsible for the actions.  The key to successful implementation is the discipline to keep your focus on the goal, complete the action steps and follow up to revisit so adjustments and changes can be made as necessary. You must truly believe in the power of your dreams and keep your vision clearly set on what is possible!

If you are interested in a copy of the Strategic Goal Setting Worksheet, just send me an email wlpg@cox.net  I will be happy to share it with you for free!

To Your Success!
 

 

You have prepared for traditional and behavioral interviews. You have accomplishment stories that demonstrate you are a problem solver who can increase revenue and/or decrease cost. Now let’s imagine that a potential interviewer wants to learn more about your problem solving abilities. Likewise, the interviewer gives you a case interview. Are you prepared to ace it?

A case interview consists of the interviewer presenting a problem and asking the interviewee to come up with a solution. It is typically a real life business situation an interviewer encountered. Most importantly, case interviews are used to measure a candidate’s business acumen, executive presence, and ability to think quickly under pressure. They are also utilized to measure a candidate’s problem solving, analytical, communication, and listening skills.

If you are ever presented with a case interview, below are tactics you can use to maximize your performance.

1. Verify the information you received - you will be given an initial set of facts including the situation and the problem you need to solve. For example, “Our client is a global industrial engineering firm that manufactures wind turbines. Revenue is increasing while profit is declining. Our client wants to improve profit. What do you suggest the company do?” Afterwards, verbally paraphrase this information to ensure you understand the problem you need to solve.

2. Structure your thoughts - next you should take up to 60 seconds to structure your thoughts. This entails breaking down the problem into components and subcomponents. For this case interview, your components could be revenue, cost, and competition. The revenue and cost subcomponents would be price and volume and fixed and variable cost, respectively. The subcomponents for competition could be competitor benchmarks, actions, and so on.

3. Share the path you are going to take - verbally share your structure with the interviewer. To ensure you are going down the right path, state “Unless you suggest otherwise, I am going to start with revenue.” Likewise, the interviewer can point you in the right direction just in case revenue is not the main issue.

4. Next ask probing questions - you should ask thoughtful questions to acquire the information you need to ultimately crack the case. You should also ask questions in a structured fashion. For example, gather all the information you need for revenue before asking questions to acquire cost data. Then obtain all of the facts you need for cost before moving on to competition.

5. Perform calculations out loud - you will be given facts, figures, and/or charts to use to perform calculations. It is vital that you perform these calculations out loud so the interviewer can correct you if you make a mistake. If you perform your calculations silently and the final results are incorrect, the interviewer will have no idea where you made a mistake.

6. Structure your recommendations - once you have all of the information you need, take up to 60 seconds to structure your recommendations. This will also give you time to prioritize the supporting details for your solutions and identify potential risks and implications.

7. Deliver your solutions - finally present your solutions or recommendations with confidence and list the supporting details. Next mention the potential risks and implications and/or discuss potential next steps.

You should listen to Carole Martin’s “Personal Branding During the Interview Process,” which was a good show. Click here: http://tinyurl.com/yekyfgh  to listen to this podcast.

A call to action for the Traditionalist Generation
(AKA, the so-called Silent Generation, born by 1945)

Did you know that most babies born in the last years of the last century and in the first years of this century will live to 100? No? Well, look it up! The Associated Press article on October 2nd was widely distributed throughout the media and suggests that living longer is not just about chronological years but about living better with however many years the youngest generation are bestowed. Longer lifetimes bring up a number of questions as to how living better while living longer might be achieved. Work itself offers its share of meaning to longer lifetimes. Ask yourself, on the present course, will your children and children's children be likely to live better if you purposefully offer an example of work's role in finding the meaning of life?

Did you know that the U.S. has slipped globally in terms of its ability to compete? Switzerland, for example, just passed us as the most competitive nation in the global economy. Along the same lines, for every 100 students in the 9th grade today, only 68 graduate high school on time. Of those, only 40 enroll directly into college. Of those, only 27 are still enrolled in the following year. Of those, only 18 earn an AA within 3 years or a BA within 6 years (Source: AARP). Ask yourself, can you help children to value learning for learning's sake?

Did you know that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 80% of new U.S. jobs require some form of post secondary education? Education may, in part, be defined by our education because children are well served when bright, educated minds share knowledge with eager, fresh minds just embarking on life's journey. Are you a retired engineer, scientist or mathematician? Your knowledge, as well as that from other disciplines, is a gift to give when it comes to preparing America's children for the future.

Today, more than ever, our contribution to our youth must change from the extremes of over-indulgence, or widespread neglect, to demonstrating the benefits of purposeful living and the excitement of meeting competitive challenges. Wizards say that the transfer of knowledge IS stimulus.

"Good work is work that works for you. It may be work that you do for
a fee, for free, for learning or for the future of a struggling nation."

As for the Boomers and Traditionalists themselves:

Did you know that almost half of U.S. workers retire long before they had hoped to retire? The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) recently conducted a very large survey of people to determine the relationship between when they "planned" (their word for "hoped") to quit working and when they actually retired. 23% aimed to work until age 65 but only 12% left the workforce at that age. 21% said they planned (there's that word again) to work until age 70 or longer but just 5% of retirees managed to work into their 7th decade. Over a third of retirees surveyed became unexpectedly retired due to a downsizing or business closure. Do you have a plan or merely a hope for your future?

Did you know that we are within a few years of a point in time when there will be more people on earth over age 65 than there are under five? So what, you ask? Well, for one thing, the graying population will slowly transform society, and retirement ages may soon be pushed back, according to Wizard Richard Suzman, an aging expert at the U.S. National Institute on Aging. Difficult to reconcile with the actual retirement ages of those surveyed by the EBRI study? Is this one of the facts that gives you more reasons to plan now than regret later? You decide.

Did you know that by the end of 2010, the first Boomers will turn 65 to be followed by 76-78 million others, nearly twice the number of people currently enrolled in Medicare? Wizards believe that it is this shifting demographic that will force changes to the program beyond any changes made in health-care reform. If you continue to work, in some capacity, will you be able to pay for supplemental insurance beyond the scope of Medicare? For the coverage you will need and, most certainly you will want, will you be forced to pay an increased amount for this coverage?

Did you know that the majority of public sector pension plans are underfunded and, do you think there is a potential conflict because of the discrepancy between private sector (the go-it-alone folks) and underfunded public sector pension shortfalls that most likely will result in either or both: (1) a higher obligation for all taxpayers or (2) a limiting of existing public sector pension payouts in a variety ways? Think not? Listen carefully! The media is beginning to pick up the story.

Did you know that government numbers of the unemployed are greatly under-counted? If the government claims 10% unemployment in the U.S., the truth is that real unemployment is closer to 17% and that figure does not include the underemployed. And, in several not-so-hot spots in the U.S., real unemployment is between 20-30% Do you know the realities of your hometown's unemployment and employment figures and, more importantly, what both might mean to your own career "plans"?

What is our point? Is it simply that "shift happens"
or is it that the future belongs to the prepared?

Carleen MacKay & Brad Taft
info@AgelessInAmerica.com

A job seeker should seek opportunities in both the advertised and hidden job market. For the past two weeks, I predominantly discussed how to locate relevant, advertised jobs on Twitter. Next week I will discuss how to use LinkedIn and Twitter to apply to advertised jobs and to locate hidden opportunities. For this post I will discuss how to locate targeted companies and individuals of interest using Twellow.

Visit www.twellow.com and register (if you are new to Twellow) by clicking on the Register for Free link (in the upper right of your screen) and inputting your Twitter screen name, password, and email address. Otherwise, just log in.

In the search field (at the top center of the screen) type the name of a targeted company. Let’s assume that Southwest Airlines is one of my 20 targeted companies. Likewise, I typed Southwest Airlines in the search field.

Next view the results. In my case, there were 44 matches including the official Twitter account for Southwest Airlines, profiles of employees including corporate recruiters, profile of the former CEO, and so on.

Click on the profiles of interest and click the follow button to add these individuals and/or companies to your group of followers on Twitter.

In my case, I clicked on the official Twitter profile of Southwest Airlines and on the Click here to visit this user’s Twitter page link under the profile.

Next I viewed some of the company’s tweets and viewed the Twitter list (located under the Lists area of the company’s profile) created for the company’s employees.

Most importantly, when you conduct a basic search for other companies like Pepsi, there will be thousands of matches or Twitter profiles for both employees and non-employees. Viewing all of these matches to locate company insiders is not efficient.

Likewise, you need to conduct an advanced search on Twellow. To accomplish this: go back to www.twellow.com, click the Search tab in the top center of the page, and view the search tips.

Now let’s assume I wanted to locate Pepsi employees who work in marketing. Likewise, I typed @(bio,extended_bio), Pepsi, marketing in the search field. Afterwards, I located the profiles for a marketing manager, international marketing director, and VP of marketing at Pepsi. These are three individuals I can follow and contact to ultimately generate referrals to other individuals of interest including hiring managers.

Next, I wanted to locate all the marketing and product managers on Twitter located in Dallas Texas. Likewise, I typed (”Dallas”) “marketing manager” | “product manager” in the search field. I retrieved one match.

In conclusion you now know how to locate advertised jobs, targeted companies, and individuals of interest on Twitter. Next week, I will discuss how to use both LinkedIn and Twitter to be introduced to hiring managers for both advertised and potential hidden opportunities.