Author Archives: bryandilts

How to prepare your boss to promote you

Posted on January 4, 2013 | Leave a comment

Prepare yourself for the world, as the athletes used to do for their exercise, oil your mind and your manners, to give them the necessary suppleness and flexibility, strength alone will not do.  (Earl of Chesterfield)

Julie called my office.  She wants a promotion.  I’m a recruiter, it’s my job to help her find that promotion in a new company.  I hate to have someone turn down a job because their boss makes them a counter offer they can’t refuse. So, I asked her, “How often do you tell your boss you want a promotion?”

“I told him at my last performance review.”

“How long ago was that?”

“It has been over a year.  We’re so busy the managers just can’t find time to do them.”

She’s a superstar performer going nowhere.  When the office is jumping with activity for months at a time, no one counts her performance as exceptional.  They just know she isn’t any trouble.

So, I suggested she declare her candidacy in a way that makes her an obvious choice for that promotion. It will also make it easier to find a new job with a promotion.  First Julie needs to invite a few of her bosses out to lunch.  She needs to let them know she wants the promotion.  She needs to find a mentor.  Then she needs to get a plan put together with her mentor’s help.  She needs to prepare for promotion.

Deciding who to promote in an office of heads down hard workers is tough.  There is no standout leader.   No one has already taken the helm.  However, in an office with a bunch of hard workers, one of whom has been working with the boss to develop leadership skills for a year, which will get promoted?  Obviously the boss’s protégé.  The person who has declared themselves for the job.

Julie may need to take a bookkeeping course, sales training, management classes and take the lead in 5 or 10 projects.  What she needs can be determined with her mentor.  As she does these things, she will be seen as the obvious choice for a promotion.  Her bosses and her coworkers will both see she is the obvious choice for promotion.

If you want to be promoted ask one of your bosses to help you prepare now.  Find a mentor.

Something to do today

Invite your boss or his boss to lunch.  Ask him to mentor you and help you get ready for a promotion.

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Later:               You are underpaid, right?

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Posted in management, Promotions, Raises

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Can you be offshoring resistant?

Posted on January 3, 2013 | Leave a comment

The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. (Rod Serling)

IBM consolidated all of the development work for one of its major initiatives in Bangalore.  I can’t even find Bangalore on a map without taking a few minutes.  At first I thought it was the capital of Maine. (My wife says to tell you this is supposed to be a joke.)

In my business, recruiting, some parts are being offshored.  Sales companies are sending telemarketing offshore.  Engineering is going to cheaper climes.  Data entry is sent to other countries through our great telecommunications system.  And many companies no longer have permanent offices or cubicles for large numbers of their “thought” workers.  They work from home or on the road.

It is a fact of life.  Manufacturers had to face the music decades ago.  Now it is everyone else’s turn.  The economics of a world economy are not going away. You need to assess your skills and job starkly.  Can your job be sent to Vietnam or Indonesia?  What do you offer that is superior to their college educated workforce?

David Foote defined three categories of “offshore-resistant” jobs in the computer field.  They are enabler jobs, customer-facing jobs, and infrastructure jobs. I think he has the right idea, but he is an optimist.  Some of the jobs he thinks are offshore resistant will go overseas.

In your field, what are the offshoring resistant jobs?  Which jobs cannot even be moved to California or Alabama? A recent study showed that half of the outsourced jobs are outsourced within the USA.  The jobs leave your company and stay in the country.

There is a larger reason than potential unemployment to figure it out.  The jobs that are most difficult to offshore are the most likely to be stable.  They are more likely to have constantly increasing salaries.  As the baby boomers retire, those jobs cannot be filled by unskilled labor.  While the workforce shrinks, competition for people who can do those critical jobs will increase.  Compared to today’s wages, some people are going to be paid outrageously well.

In your field, what are the offshoring resistant jobs? Just knowing will change your career.

Something to do today

Invite your boss or his boss to lunch.  Take the chance to ask him what jobs are most and least likely to be offshored.  It is worth paying for his lunch to find out.

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Later:               Prepare to be a manager

You are underpaid, right?

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Posted in Economy, Finding jobs

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Can a kick in the teeth help your career?

Posted on January 2, 2013 | Leave a comment

You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.  (Walt Disney)

Can you believe Walt Disney said that?  He was such a nice guy!

Many of the happiest people I know were ruined at one point.  Some depressed people were also ruined, but they stayed that way.  It can be layoffs, bankruptcy, divorce, a major health problem or a terrorist act that is your personal disaster.  Often it is a combination of them, a major kick in the teeth.

One friend of mine was climbing the career ladder.  There was a disaster and he, his wife and kids all had to come and live in the basement of his parent’s house.  He took a dock worker job at trucking company.  He had no future. He learned that dockworker job and got promoted several times in only a couple of years.  Then he quit and formed a local company that expanded to several states.  He still loaded trucks when he had to… as the CEO helping out.  He won’t tell you he liked getting kicked in the teeth.  Instead, he’ll tell you it was a turning point.  It was the start of a new and exciting phase of his life.

Oh yeah, he got kicked in the teeth again and had the courts liquidate his company three years later.  Now he’s back at it. He didn’t enjoy it, but he just kept moving forward.

Happy or depressed, which will it be?  That depends on how long it takes you to put yourself in charge.  Being in charge is the subject of the next series of articles.  Positive steps you can take to prepare for or recover from disaster.

Something to do today

Talk to the 3 happiest people you know.  Get them alone.  Ask them if they were ever kicked in the teeth.  You may have to push them to find out.  Ask them about the list: layoffs, bankruptcy, divorce, health and terrorist acts.  I’ll bet you are surprised at what they call, “A blessing in disguise.”

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Later:               You vs offshoring

Prepare to be a manager

You are underpaid, right?

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Posted in Attitude, Perseverance

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Politically correct seasonal salutation

Posted on December 24, 2012 | Leave a comment

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit my best
wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low
stress, non-addictive, gender neutral celebration of the winter
solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions
of the religious persuasion or secular practices of your choice,
with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or
traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or
secular traditions at all;”

PLUS

“a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically
uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted
calendar year, but not without due respect for the calendars of
choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have
helped make America great, (not to imply that America is
necessarily greater than any other country or is the only
“AMERICA” in the western hemisphere), and without regard
to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious
faith, choice of computer platform, or orientation of
the wisher.”

(Disclaimer: By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these
terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It
is freely transferable with no alteration to the original
greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually
implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void
where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion
of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected
within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one
year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting,
whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of
this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the
wisher who assumes no responsibility for any unintended emotional
stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the
holiday spirit.) 

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Posted in Uncategorized

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Why and how to find a good manager to work for

Posted on December 21, 2012 | Leave a comment

A manager is making you happy or miserable.  A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Managers (SHRM) concluded that 79% of people who leave their jobs say that lack of appreciation is a key reason.  Happiness at work is, therefore, the manager’s fault.  People quit because of their managers.  In the end, your managers will make or break your work experience.

The average person who changes jobs only gets a 5% raise according to another study.  That is not a lot of money. Quite often the next raise would have met or exceeded that.  So money is not a major factor

Recognition, praise, rewards and awards are part of a manager’s duty. Yet many managers get so caught up in projects and budgets that they never say, “Well done!”

So, when you are looking for a job or a promotion, you know the most important thing to look for. Find a good manager.

How do you decide who is a good manager?

Find a chance to ask people who have been working for that person how they like it.  Listen carefully for hints of happiness or unhappiness.  Follow through on any hints with more questions.

Think about the managers you have liked.  Haven’t they been the ones who knew how well you did, and recognized you for it?

Something to do today

List your last 4 managers. First rank them by how well they appreciated your accomplishments.  Then rank them by how you liked them overall as managers.  Is there something to this?  What kind of a manager or team leader are you?

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Later:               A kick in the teeth

You vs offshoring

Prepare to be a manager

You are underpaid, right?

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Posted in Attitude, management, Quitting or Fired

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Has your brain stopped?

Posted on December 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

GM and Ford are laying off workers.  The layoffs include production line, engineering and management workers. IBM has layoffs every year, even when they are expanding.  State and federal governments have layoffs. The military has layoffs.

You are only safe if you feed that organ between your ears… your brain.

One of my candidates got tired of having to upgrade his computer skills every 3 or 4 years so he studied massage therapy.  Several candidates are getting their MBA’s.  I push everyone to get certifications in their field.  One of my candidates is a soldier in Iraq, and even he is able to continue his training.

Many people think their brain can stop when they graduate from high school or college.  These people have totally missed the meaning of the “Commencement Ceremony.”  Commencement means the beginning, not the end.  It is the time to really start learning.  It is the opening of broad new vistas of opportunities.

Oprah Winfrey said that the most important decision she ever made was to read two books each week.  She could stop working today and retire with the 100’s of millions of dollars she has earned.  Instead, she keeps on learning.  Because she keeps on learning, she keeps on being interesting to watch on TV.

I know a rodeo cowboy, a pro bull rider, who always impressed me.  She kept learning new skills, and even got into law school.

Are you still feeding your brain or did it stop working as soon as you left school?

Something to do today

Decide on a plan to learn something fun and something useful.  They may be the same thing.  Get started.

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Later:               It’s the manager’s fault

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Posted in talent, Training

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Can you dress as well as this stripper in court?

Posted on December 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

She uses clothes as a weapon.  To win a Texas millionaire husband she dressed provocatively.  Then her husband died and she was fighting to get her inheritance in court.  She showed up at the US Supreme Court dressed conservatively in black. Anna Nicole effectively used clothes in both cases.

Are you as smart as she is?

First off, if you won’t be happy at work unless you have pink hair with cheek, nose and tongue rings, and a t-shirt with a provocative theme, wear them all to the job interview.  You may as well find out quickly if you fit in.

If you don’t really care what you wear, dress conservatively.  Guys, remove all earrings.  Girls, one pair will do, maybe two conservative pairs.  Ask someone who is a manager in a similar company to help you choose what to wear.  Tell them to be brutally honest. Then follow their advice.

Make sure that your clothes all fit.  Guys, if you need bigger pants, get them. Using hydraulic equipment to tighten up your belt looks terrible.  Girls, make sure your bra fits and is not a distraction because of bulges around the edges.  Both of you, if your shirt buttons are strained at all then the shirt is too small.

Of course you need to find out if you should wear a suit or business casual.  If you have any doubts, ask.  Your recruiter or the HR person who sets up the interview will tell you.

Are you smart enough to dress yourself?  Then dress yourself to get the job.

Something to do today

Find your clothing advisor.  Make it someone at the level of your interviewers if you can.

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Later:               When your brain stops

It’s the manager

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Posted in Interviews

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Are women scared to negotiate salary?

Posted on December 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

So why DO women earn less than men?

I have a healthy skepticism of social surveys and experiments.  This paper takes a good look at questions like:

  • Do women negotiate as much?
  • When are men or women most likely to negotiate?
  • What if the job is sports related?
  • What if you explicitly say you can negotiate?

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Posted in Negotiating

That famous resume test – plus another one

Posted on December 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

Since your resume may be first reviewed in 5.7 seconds and thrown away or kept, you have to make sure it can be read blindfolded.

No.  Don’t use Braille.  Instead use bullets, placement of key words, white space and numbers (which also attract the eye) to make reviewers quickly see you meet the basic requirements.

Test one – the famous test:

Give your resume to a friend.  Take it back after 12 seconds.  Ask him what your resume says you are qualified to do.  If he can’t tell you, it fails.

Test two — the plus:

Get some resumes from friends or coworkers.  Tell them you need them for this test.  Or go to www.agicc.com/resumeideas.htm and download the resumes linked there.  Put your resume somewhere besides first in the pile.  Now, give the job description for the job you are applying for to a friend. Have him read it carefully.  Give him the stack of resumes.  Tell him he has 10 seconds per resume to decide if it fits the job.  As he goes through the stack, time him on each resume.  If he goes past 10 seconds, take the resume away and ask if it passes or fails.  Does your resume pass or fail?

If your resume passes both tests, you have got a fighting chance.

 

Something to do today

Test your resume.

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Later:               The stripper in court

When your brain stops

It’s the manager

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Posted in Resumes

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How to make your resume last more than 5.7 seconds

Posted on December 14, 2012 | Leave a comment

I heard the Wall Street Journal did a study and found that the average resume is reviewed in 5.7 seconds.   Years ago it was 10 to 12 seconds.  People must be reading faster.

The reason for the increase in speed is probably that so many unqualified people send in resumes these days.  At one point at AGI we stopped all advertising and stopped putting our jobs out on the major internet job boards because of the unqualified responses.  It took too long to slog through them.

That glut of useless resumes makes it is easy for your resume to stand out. Here’s how you make it happen.

Take the job lead you are submitting your resume for.  Make sure that anyone glancing at your resume can see that you have the major skills.  For programmers that means putting the languages and skills you used where they can’t be missed in 5.7 seconds.  For accountants, your expertise that applies to this particular job must jump out.  Salespeople need to show how good they are at a glance.  Whatever makes you the best bet for the job you are applying for must stand out.

This means you may need 2 or 30 slightly different resumes.  Maybe you just need to rearrange the bullet points.  Try bolding the words that describe skills asked for in the ad.  Put white space around the critical skill sets.  Do something to get your resume past that initial 5.7 to 15 second review.

In a sea of useless resumes, you can make yours stand out and get read if you are willing to put in the effort.

Something to do today

For the next 5 times you send off your resume, give it an examination first.  Take the job order and see if YOU can find the most important skills and qualifications on your resume in 5.7 seconds.  If you can’t, no one can.

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Later:              That famous resume test — plus

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Posted in Resumes

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