August 2009

The Next Best Thing: Can’t Get an Interview? Set up a Meeting

August 31, 2009 · 54 comments

September is right around the corner – you’ve been out there looking for a job all summer (or maybe even longer) only to be met with a barren wasteland or fully-staffed companies and limited opportunities. Companies are cutting the fat and streamlining work to the fewest number of people as possible these days – which means working longer hours and Outlook calenders full of meetings and appointments. If an HR rep is barely coming up for air, how are you supposed to expect them to schedule an hour or two of their day for an interview with you.

There are a million people out there giving job and career advice – telling us how to nail an interview and find a job we love. But what if getting the actual interview is the problem? We’re so concerned with ‘getting the job’ that sometimes we fail to realize that the people who would be hiring us are human beings – people who need their morning coffee, a tasty lunch, or a couple happy-hour beers to sustain. That’s where you come in. Maybe you can’t land an interview – but an ‘informational’ meeting might be much more realistic and even more beneficial.

Informal is the way to go – and let’s people see the ‘real’ you

Interviews are one big show – you prepare, you review the script, you practice your lines, and finally the spotlight shines down on you. As I’m sure we all can attest, it’s a lot of pressure, it’s a grueling process, and often-times, it doesn’t provide people with a clear picture of what you’re like between the hash-marks (nine to five). You can walk into an interview with confidence and an ease of mind, but it’s still going to feel a little manufactured and unnatural. Setting up a lunch meeting at a local cafe get’s both parties on neutral ground and balances the ‘comfort playing field’.

Everyone loves coffee, or beer, or at least water

There’s nothing worse than sipping on day-old office brew while you run down the list of your greatest weaknesses and biggest accomplishments – Having a Carmel Macchiato or a frosty pint of Fat Tire in hand starts things off on a good note and sets the mood for an enjoyable (and productive) introductory meeting. Just make sure you let them order first before you make an ass of yourself and order a double Jack and Coke and a couple sidecars of Jager. Coming across as an afternoon alcoholic is never the first impression you want to make.

Don’t sell yourself, ask about them

Remember, this isn’t an interview – you don’t need to tell them why your the best candidate for a position that doesn’t even exist. Come prepared with questions but let the person your meeting talk about themselves. Showing a genuine interest in a person and the work they do is a form a flattery. Most of us, including myself, would be happy to meet with anyone who admired (or at least pretended to admire) the work we do and wanted to pick our brain. Focus on them and save ‘selling yourself’ for the actual interview.

Networking (offline) is key

Getting your foot in the door is half the battle. While landing an interview might be tricky, a trip to the local pub should be much easier to score. We talk so much about the power of social networking and using tools like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook to further our personal brand – but truth be told, nothing replaces a live, face to face meeting. A potential employer being able to put a face with your name can be invaluable to you over the long haul. When something does open up, they’ll remember your fantastic rendition of ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ at the karaoke bar that one Tuesday night a few months ago.

What’s the worst that can happen?

The best part? There’s basically nothing bad that can come from all this – you get to meet and speak with a person you admire or respect, put your own name out there, and enjoy a (hopefully) good meal. So the question is, “What are you waiting for?” If you’re finding that you can’t schedule an interview, take a different approach and start setting up meetings today.

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Have a story to share? An approach you took when you couldn’t get in the door for an interview? Share your experiences, for better or for worse, in the comments below!

The Social Media Revolution Isn’t Coming – It’s Already Here

August 27, 2009 · 41 comments

You are being watched and you will be found

You can run, you can hide, but no matter where you go – the social media revolution will find you. Social media is changing the way we do business, the way we communicate and share ideas, and even the way we think and carry out our everyday lives. Where did you get your news from this morning? TV or your Google Reader? How did you find your job? A classified ad in the newspaper or a job posting on LinkedIn?

Many of you might have run across this video in the past few weeks – but in case you haven’t, take four minutes out of your day and give it a watch – some of the information might surprise you. More discussion after the jump.

A couple takeaways from the video:

By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers – 96% of them have joined a social network

First of all – this number is staggering. It means that virtually every single one of us have rocked out on Myspace, stalked our exes on Facebook, and dabbled in a tweet or two. So often we hear that ‘we are the future’ – Well, that future is right here, right now. We’re it. This is the future our parents always told us about. We represent the movers and shakers of the world, the innovators and thought leaders – a rapidly evolving swarm of tech-savvy tweet-rather-than-text-rather-than-talk individuals. If a business is wondering how to connect and communicate with our demographic, look no further than the social web. We’re out there, and we’re listening.

80% of Twitter usage is on mobile devices. People update anywhere, anytime. Imagine what that means for bad customer experiences.

Let’s remain optimistic: Imagine what it can mean for positive word of mouth. If you’re a small business who is just starting out and wondering how you’ll ever compete with the corporate big-wigs, turn to social media. It’s inexpensive and allows for a direction connection to your consumers.

If you leave a great impression with a client or customer, they have new and innovative communication tools at their disposal to get your name out there. Imagine perfecting a cup of coffee for someone who has 30,000 Twitter followers – who in turn tweets about how amazing your little-known shop is and how everyone should check it out. Talk about awesome PR – a positive review from a ‘trusted source’ to a huge audience and it cost you nothing!

That’s the power of social media that so many companies out there are striving to harness and use to drive their business. Mr. Qualman shares an interesting statistic: 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations – Only 14% trust advertisements. I think we can all agree that genuine feedback from a trusted source is much more influential that a random ad. Companies are taking notice, shifting the bill from traditional mediums to social media platforms and letting their audience of consumers do the selling for them.

Ultimately how do these stats make me feel? Old (and wise)

I can remember the days before Myspace and Facebook, a time when Youtube ever existed, where Napster was huge and Itunes was dissed because it wasn’t free. The funny thing? None of this was that long ago – a matter of a few years – and look at how our society has changed. Technology is the first huge shift in culture that people our age can claim ownership of. The fact that we have lived and breathed this stuff since the beginning is what allows you and me to be considered ‘experts’. Social media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.

Our privacy is out the window – Erik makes a point on his blog that we should “live our online lives like mom is watching – because she probably is”. Everyone from Dunkin Donuts to the Doubletree Hotel is out there watching, listening, and observing – waiting for the right time to stage and effective approach and initiate a conversation.

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The Social Media Revolution isn’t coming – it’s already here. It’s time to stop asking “how did we get here?” and start thinking about where we’re going next.

Memo to the CEO: Encourage Innovation

August 24, 2009 · 50 comments

Memo to the CEO: Encourage Innovation

Welcome to the real world

You’re in your early twenties, fresh out of college, eager to take on the working world. As you’re handed your diploma you ascertain a certain knowing of ‘this is it’ only to soon find yourself as a very small fish in a large pond of desperate job-seekers.

You wake up one morning and realize there are a lot of companies out there that simply aren’t interested in you – they don’t want your disregard for “meaningless work” – they want someone who will come in and get the job done without asking questions – someone with experience and qualifications who requires little training and minimal hand-holding.

But that old school ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ mentality is losing ground. The most successful companies, or at least those who are aspiring to grow and develop into the future, are realizing that growth requires a staff that is willing to grow with you – and that when employees can claim ownership and find meaning in their work – knowing not only the ‘what’ but the ‘why’ – they’ll contribute above and beyond simple expectations, and in doing so, will make your job a heck of a lot easier.

Generation Y, collectively, presents an interesting challenge to hiring managers and supervisors. We are, as they say, a force to be reckoned with. Bringing something new to the table – something extremely valuable – a fresh perspective and a drive that cannot be ignored. As a memo to all CEO’s, here are three ways to encourage dedication and innovation amongst your twenty-something staff.

Make yourself approachable

We’re young, and while we may think we know it all – we really don’t – at all. But we are hungry for knowledge. We want to learn. We want to be smarter than you. The only way to grow and develop is to learn from each other, and more importantly, learn from those who have come before us; the people who have been in our shoes, achieved success, and live to tell the tale. As with any relationship, if you don’t take the time to invest in your employees, they won’t bother to invest in you. It takes very little effort to make a big difference. Simply knowing that you’re there with an open door and open mind when approached goes a long, long way.

Give the job meaning | Explain “why”

There is a dividing line between Gen Y’ers – those who think micromanagement is the devil, and those who think we need to be told exactly what to do. I find myself somewhere in the middle, and I think most people my age can relate. While we don’t want to have someone standing over our shoulder at all times – we do want to know the ‘why’ behind everything. Our biggest flaw (or possibly our greatest strength) is in our reluctance for doing mundane work. We want meaning, we want purpose, and we want to know our role in the grand scheme. You (as a supervisor) need to go an extra step and explain the ‘why’ behind even the most mundane tasks. Why? Because when we understand why we’re doing something and how it’s important to the big picture, we’re much more likely to commit to the overall success of the company vision.

Just trust me

There are VERY few CEO’s who welcome in new ideas, innovation, and approaches from their young staff members. For most, entry-level means keep your mouth shut and do your work. Maybe the ideas of a young twenty-something should be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s my opinion that the companies with the best culture are those who welcome the opinions from their entire staff, whether your on the 101st floor or in the mail room. You (hopefully) hire top-notch people for a reason – you do it because you believe they will bring value to your team, that they offer something unique, and that they will contribute to more than just the bottom line.

My memo to the collective CEO: Expect your employees to do what they were hired to do – but trust them to do more. Hear them out, promote a creative environment, and encourage innovation.

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What advice would you give the CEO’s and supervisors of the world? How do you give your job meaning? Are we entitled to be entitled? Share your good (or bad) experiences in the conversation below.

The Philosophy Behind #FollowFriday

August 20, 2009 · 58 comments

What is Follow Friday?

As Ron [Hubel] so aptly states above, “Follow Friday on Twitter is a little tradition they have every Friday where people recommend to their followers other people to follow.” Basically, we give a shout out to people we respect, find interesting, or are otherwise not annoying. On a platform that is “me, me, me” all the time – we take a break and ritualistically show some humility by shamelessly promoting our friends.

Where did it all begin?

#FollowFriday was launched into the stratosphere by @micah back in January ’09 with a simple tweet recommending two of his friends for his followers to follow. The rest, well, is history. Today there are well over 250,000 #FollowFriday tweets sent out every Friday!

Who cares?

The main reason #FollowFriday has turned into such a wide-spread Twitter phenomenon? ROI. In short, people want followers (you can argue with me on this point that the number of followers doesn’t matter – but let’s face it, none of us mind if we end up with thousands of followers. More followers equals more eyes on whatever you’re putting out there. You invest time suggesting other people in hopes they’ll invest their time suggesting you, thus completing the Follow Friday circle of life. It’s simple and when all is said and done, it works – I’ve met some great folks based on a Follow Friday recommendation and I’m sure you have too.

What makes you follow-worthy?

Ultimately, to earn the respect and recognition of others, you not only have to be putting out some great content yourself – you need to be a resource in whatever your field may be – this is especially true from a business perspective. If I’m an indie-coffee shop on Twitter, I don’t want to focus solely on the brew of the day at my shop – I want to talk about community events, share some fun facts about coffee, talk about the music that’s playing in the shop – topics and information that is relevant to my target consumer. When you do that, people not only depend on you for your own business information, but rather as an overall community resource. Those who achieve ‘thought leadership’ in their respective field or area of interest are the ones who get mega #FollowFriday love. And as we all know, that’s what life is all about – getting a few compliments before we head into our weekend. “Making new friends…in a forceful, aggressive way.”

What’s your #FollowFriday philosophy?

Can You Be A Cubicle Entrepreneur?

August 17, 2009 · 44 comments

Can you be a cubicle entrepreneur? So you want to be an entrepreneur. Outstanding. Do you have a vision? A business plan? The funds to realistically put a plan into action? If you answered yes to all of these questions – this article isn’t for you – if you have the ways and means, seriously, what are you waiting for? Stop reading and start doing.

This post is dedicated to the wannabees – all of us out there who want to break free from the corporate world and live the startup life but don’t know where to begin. You and I represent the creative minds that will be without a doubt the next innovators of the world – but as new college graduates faced with the worst economic recession in decades, we’re held back by the realm of reality – a place that tells us to be cautious and think realistically – take any job you can get to pay the bills and live a mundane (albeit secure) life.

You Don’t Have to be an Entrepreneur to be Entrepreneurial

A Gen Y army is building of individuals who are tired of settling, who aren’t willing to take any job for the sake of having a job, and as a result won’t touch a ‘corporate’ work environment with a ten foot pole. While our initiative and pride are commendable, our overwhelming sense of personal entitlement might actually doing more harm than good. We allow ourselves to become closed-minded to what might end up being a great opportunity because it doesn’t fit into our perfect career scenario (I’m just as guilty of this as the rest of you). But speaking from experience, there ARE opportunities out there that may not seem ideal on the surface, but when approached with an open mind, might very well be something you can totally fall in love with – jobs that give you the potential to think like an entrepreneur, without drafting the business plan and taking out the business loan yourself.

That’s the take-away here. Always maintain an open mind. Don’t sell yourself short, never settle – because 9 time out of 10 you don’t have to. I’m a living breathing testament that finding a (good) job is possible, even in this recession. But if you would have told me I would have ended up in web marketing for a healthcare provider two months ago, back when I was buying and selling billboards in Nashville, I would have said you’re crazy. But for the first time in my life, I have a job that I wake up every day feeling good about – with a workload I’m happy to take home with me because it’s a position that allows and demands ownership and accountability.

Find a job that gives you the freedom to be you – a company who will trust you to take all of the responsibility and run with it. Somewhere that will be asking for YOUR opinion on day one. Go above and beyond: Draft execution plans, develop new programs, grab your 7am Starbucks and go in early, stay late, work from home. Own you’re title – and over time you’ll realize you’re not working FOR someone, you’re working with them. Learn and absorb the knowledge from those who have come before you.

Embrace the mantra of an entrepreneur and apply it to your nine to five. Besides, that future Fortune 500 you’ve been wanting to start will be there when you’re ready.

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