I was lucky enough to see George Carlin perform in person a few years back. And he didn’t disappoint. I laughed uncontrollably--my eyes were watering…I was laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe. And when I did, I could hear a pronounced wheeze. And that was 10 minutes into his act.
With his recent passing, I thought I’d take a moment to pay tribute by sharing some of his sage advice on interviewing.
Let recruiters know you consider partying to be a career of its own.
Tell them you’d like an office right by the front door so you can get out at 5 o’clock in a big, big hurry.
Ask politely about their attitude toward Monday and Friday absenteeism.
Let them know you’d like to start next month but would like to be paid immediately.
Okay, so maybe those tips are more along the lines of “what not to do.” But I have the feeling that George might have used them often, and to great success. We will miss him.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (www.courtingyourcareer.com).
According to the 2008 NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) Graduating Student Survey, the job/employer attributes students valued most were opportunities for advancement and job security. Equally surprising to me--insurance packages came in third…THIRD! I don’t know about you, but when I graduated from college oh-so-many-years ago, insurance was probably the furthest thing from my mind. In fact, at 35 and single, I wouldn’t put insurance coverage in my top 10. Friendly co-workers and location round out the top 5.
So what’s this mean to you when you’re trying to attract freshly-minted graduates? Your ability to highlight clearly defined paths for career advancement is critical. If job promotions are usually filled from within, let candidates know that during the interview process. Give them an idea of typical timelines for promotions (if they’re faster than competitors, better yet). Highlight the variety of career path options available (if they ARE available), which is particularly attractive to the many job candidates who aren’t clear about their career focus at graduation.
Job security is a tougher sell…especially given the current state of the economy. Today’s graduates realize there are no guarantees when it comes to job security, but they’d still like to know they’re joining a business that isn’t going to dissolve before they finish new employee orientation. If your firm has a history of protecting their employees in tough economic times, let them know.
With an understanding of the priorities of today’s graduates, you can (and should) develop recruiting strategies to address them. Tapping into the results of the annual NACE survey annually would also be a good idea, because priorities will likely change in the future. Who knows? Maybe in a few years students may actually care about job content.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (www.courtingyourcareer.com).
I have to admit, I got a chuckle out of the idea of employees proposing a four day workweek under the guise of helping to save gas. That’s almost like being the first one to jump at the chance to work from home during minor renovations to the office. Not that I’m speaking from personal experience, of course. All kidding aside, I’m sure their hearts are in the right place. It’s just the cynic in mean that loves the fact that it had to do with staying home and not car pooling or taking the bus.
But if you’re going to take one for the team, or in this case Mother Earth, a three day weekend is a pretty sweet deal. Beyond the obvious benefit of not having to pour most of your paycheck right back into your gas tank, there are definitely other perks. For example, you can:
Get reacquainted with your favorite daytime TV shows. No need to TIVO Regis & Kelly or Dr. Phil. Now you can watch them at their regularly scheduled time—just the way TV Guide intended it. And because you’re doing it for the environment, just make sure you're using rechargeable batteries in your remote control. I wouldn’t want you to be a hypocrite.
Run errands. I’ve always found it curious why a lot of businesses are only open during "normal business hours," Monday-Friday from 8am-5pm. That’s great for those who don’t work Monday through Friday, but everyone else (including me) is left rushing to get to the post office or the bank before they close.
Take post-lunch naps. You know you’ve always dreamed of sleeping under your desk ala George Costanza. Well, dream no more. And speaking of lunch, at least one day a week you don't have to worry about packing a lunch or grabbing an overpriced sandwich from the company cafeteria.
If you’re lucky enough to work at a company that cares more about results than watching the clock, enjoy the awesomeness of a three day weekend on a regular basis.If we can’t pull off a four-hour workweek, at least a three day weekend is a move in the right direction.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (www.courtingyourcareer.com).
A workplace with no schedules or no meetings? Undoubtedly every employees’ dream…especially when they’re trapped in an all day meeting. I have to admit, after reading Tim Ferris’ post about the Results-Only Work Environment, or ROWE, that’s currently being employed at Best Buy, this employee got a little jealous.
The thought of not having to worry about “signing out” by repositioning a tiny magnet on a giant dry erase board every time you step away from your desk is definitely enticing. And meetings? Don’t get me started. I mean, sometimes they serve a purpose. But, when you’re talking about stuff, you’re not doing stuff. And that’s the point of ROWE. According to Ferris, “each person is free to do whatever they want, whenever they want, as long as the work gets done.” Sigh. Sorry…I caught myself daydreaming.
If you’re going to meet, make it purposeful. And if you want to keep it short, make sure you have a clearly defined agenda that includes time limits for each topic. You might even decide to appoint a time keeper to make sure your discussions don’t run over the allotted time.
Is it for everyone? Unlikely. In a corporate office where business units don’t have to interact face to face with customers or other business units on a daily basis, they don’t have to worry about schedules. But, if you’ve got customers (like say a brick and mortar Best Buy store), there’s something to be said for knowing where people are so you can track them down when you need to. If you’re going to move away from schedules altogether, just make sure everyone on your team is easily accessible. To ease the transition, maybe you can spring for iPhones.
Beyond possible customer services drawbacks, employees might prefer the structure and oversight of more traditional work environments. Some telecommuters miss working with others so much, they’ve started the trend of organized “coworking” where they get together with others to work independently while still getting some of the human interaction they’d get in an office setting. Before trying to change your corporate culture, think about the personalities and work styles of your team and how that cultural shift will affect (both good and bad) how they do their jobs.
Not ready to ROWE? You can look to Google for a gateway strategy. Instead of the “do whatever you want when you want” mantra, they give their engineers “20% time” where they can work one day a week to work on any project of their choosing. It’s great because it gives the creative free spirits time to do their own thing and it also encourages those who crave structure a chance to dip their toes in the water.
I know this probably isn’t what you want to hear, but if you’re ready to ROWE the first step in scrapping schedules and meetings is to schedule a meeting to come up with a strategy to make the change. Sweet irony.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (www.courtingyourcareer.com).
I don’t know what it is, but I’m a sucker for finding the unique mom and pop shops and restaurants that make one city different from the next. I was in Philadelphia on a business trip when it hit me. I was leaving the hotel when I asked the bellhop if there were any non-franchise restaurants within walking distance. He rubbed his chin as if in deep thought. If memory serves me correctly, it took him a good half minute before finally responding “Hmmmmmm….there’s Magiano’s across the street.” Unfortunately, as un-franchised as it might look, that Magiano’s is identical to the one that’s five minutes from my house in Durham, North Carolina. Much to the chagrin of my arteries, I eventually found Jim’s Steaks on South Street.
I don’t know about you, but when I’m traveling, I definitely don’t want to frequent the same national chains I can visit in my home town. I look forward to finding those off-the-beaten path corner stores that sell stuff that’s unique to that area. But they’re getting harder and harder to find.
Don’t get me wrong. I definitely appreciate the benefits of knowing I’ll get pretty much the same customer experience whether I visit a Home Depot in California or Florida. It just seems like businesses are losing their individuality. I mean, the big box home improvement stores do mix it up…some have the lighting on the right hand side of the building while others have it on the left. But come on, do we really want everything to be a franchise?
Case in point—there’s a bar/restaurant in my home town that was started in a rundown old gas station. Over time, they slowly started to franchise. As they did they hired outside consultants (in my experience, always chocked full of great ideas…right) to help them grow the business. I made it back home not too long ago only to find they had taken away all of the little things that made them “not Applebee’s.” They even changed their menu to the standard T.G.I. Friday’s, Applebee’s, Chili’s look and feel. Just what they needed.
The same thing holds true with new home developments. I appreciate having a consistent look and feel and cutting down costs by making things more standardized, but have you noticed all of the new houses and condos look identical? If you’re not paying attention, you could accidently end up pulling into your neighbor’s garage—ohhhh the embarrassment.
Maybe I’ll just blame it on the automobile or fast food industries as they seemed to spearhead the move to a mass produced, one size fits all mentality. All I know is we’re losing what used to make businesses, and our experiences as customers, unique.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job(www.courtingyourcareer.com).
You’re briefing your team on an important project when you notice a coworker is busy texting away on a cell phone instead of paying attention to what you are saying.
Some people have the ability to carry on five in-person and virtual conversations at once, but unfortunately for the rest of us, the majority can only focus on one shiny object at a time—be it a new smartphone or the glare off of the forehead of Stan from accounting. They might be able to pick up bits and pieces of your conversation while typing away on that tiny keyboard (am I the only one who finds that humorous), but without their undivided attention, you’re fighting an uphill battle to get anything productive from them. Also, it’s just plain rude and inconsiderate to other members of the team.
It’s not just BlackBerry addiction. I’ll be the first one to admit, I often find myself so glued to a computer screen that I can have an entire conversation with someone standing in my doorway without ever making eye contact. The exact same thing I used to get frustrated by when a coworker would do it to me. To my coworkers-don’t worry, I’m aware of it. I’m working on it.
Before anyone rolls their eyes in disgust, I know real-time communication is the lifeline in a number of industries. If something is critical, it’s obvious you need to respond to an email or text immediately. But, in most other cases, I think we let the bad habit of texting get the best of us. Even if it’s something as unimportant as who got voted off Dancing with the Stars last night, you might be more fixated on that than listening to your coworker.
It’s almost like we need technology police. “Turn the device off and step away from the conference table. Put your hands up and don’t make any sudden moves towards your Blackberry!” Of course, they could also monitor the inner-office coffee supply and pass out fines to anyone caught fleeing the scene of an empty coffee pot.
The next time you feel the vibration on your hip signaling an incoming message, assess the situation before you start typing away. And, if you’re a repeat offender, just remember that when you’re freaking out in response to the periodic service outage or internet hiccup, some of your coworkers are probably smiling from ear to ear on the inside knowing they actually have your complete attention—even if only for a short time.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job(www.courtingyourcareer.com).
I don’t think I’ve used the term since that operations course I took as an undergrad. But this week, I thought I’d dust it off and apply it to the workplace. Is being the last one in the office in the morning and the first one to leave in the afternoon a problem?
If you’re in a client-facing business, there’s an expectation that you’ll be ready, willing, and able to offer your assistance during your stated business hours. With all the time and energy spent on attracting and retaining customers, the last thing you want to do is turn them away when they’re already at your doorstep.
Beyond running the risk of losing customers, frequent absenteeism will hurt the cohesiveness of your team and, ultimately you. Over time, coworkers will either follow your lead and start working fewer hours, or they’ll roll their eyes and resent you for not working at least a 40 hour work week. Either way, at some point things in your department are bound to boil over. I’m not saying you have to become the tardiness police; in fact, quite the contrary. I once worked in a department where we had to sign in and out every time we left our desks for more than two seconds and, trust me, that had an equally negative affect on our morale.
Productivity matters. Bosses are sometimes more lenient on your occasional coming in late and leaving early if you’re hitting your deadlines and churning out great work. But, if because of your absence, others are picking up the slack, this could not only impact your performance review, but could also cost you your job. If you know you’re going to be late on a particular day, make sure you wrap everything up before you leave to ensure everything is on target. If you’re working on a project, ask a coworker to be your backup. Also, and I know should go without saying, but try not to be out of the office when you’re expected to produce a key deliverable. I know things come up unexpectedly that are out of your control and that’s fine. But for the other times, plan accordingly.
Your commute time doesn’t really matter. Again, if you’re in a client-facing business, you need to be there. If your commute is too long, you either need to get up a little bit early or look for a new place to live that’s closer to your office. Commute time usually isn’t a justifiable defense to your customers or to your boss—especially if your boss has a longer commute and still gets in before and leaves after you.
“Do as I say, not as I do.” A lot of times, we mistakenly take signals from the boss about absenteeism. Make no mistake about it--the boss can be the last in and the first out because he or she is the boss. It might not be fair, but with the title comes the benefit.The last thing you ever want to do is defend your work hours by questioning your boss’s work schedule. That is a potential career killer.
As a junior employee, being last in, first out isn’t the best idea. Look for subtle and not so subtle cues from management and coworkers about work schedules and coverage. And, if all else fails, make sure you have a good excuse.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job(www.courtingyourcareer.com).
By the time the deal goes public, it’s too late. Wheels are already in motion to eliminate redundancies and, when you’re part of the company being acquired, there’s a good chance you’re one of the redundancies. In a heartbeat, you can go from the ranks of the gainfully employed to unemployed.
Even with all of the integration and acquisition planning that happens prior to the close of the deal, there’s still a great deal of uncertainty about who’s going to be let go. Best case, they tell you that you’re going to have a spot with the purchasing company. But even then, that doesn’t mean things aren’t subject to change.
Assume the worst. Even if you get reassurance from management that your position is safe today, that doesn’t mean that might not change a few weeks or a few months from now. There are no guarantees. If someone tells you differently, don’t buy it.
The hard part is being in limbo. Should you start looking for another job before management gives you the green light? I say yes. You’ve got to put your own career interests ahead of those of the company. You’ve got too much at stake.
Before you do anything else, make sure your resume is ready for prime time. I always harp on the importance of keeping your resume updated in case something unexpected falls into your lap. Well, it doesn’t get much more unexpected than this.
Don’t waste time feeling bad for yourself or waiting to hear what’s going to happen to your job. The second the news drops (or before if you’re so lucky), get on the phone with everyone in your professional network. Get their take on your job search strategy, companies that might be hiring, and anything else you have questions about.
Reach out to headhunters. Even if you have an amazing network of incredibly helpful and supportive colleagues at other companies who are doing everything they can to help you out, executive search firms often have access to jobs you might otherwise miss.
Best case—everything works out, you keep your job, and you’ve strengthened your network to boot. Worst case—your job gets eliminated but, because you were proactive, you end up weeks ahead of others caught up in the restructuring.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job(www.courtingyourcareer.com).
When’s the last time you emailed 10 people about work-related business and actually got 10 responses? 8? How about 7? I’m willing to bet you’d be lucky to hear back from half of them and, if you did, it would likely be weeks after you needed the information. I’ve spent many a sleepless night trying to understand why timely follow up is the exception and not the norm, but I just don’t get it.
I meet with a lot of stressed out job seekers who are sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear back from companies about their candidacy, but I also hear from an equal number of frustrated colleagues who are left staring at their inbox hoping the people they’ve reached out to will someday decide to respond.
I’m sure there are plenty of reasons why this happens, but I thought I’d focus on a few of the lamest ones, followed by a few quick tips on effective e-mail use at work.
Out of sight, out of mind. Someone told me once that if I stare at my dog Ren and he avoids eye contact, he thinks I can’t see him. I’m not sure if that’s scientific fact or fiction, but I know that’s definitely the case for some people when it comes to email. In their minds, if they don’t look at it, it’s not really there.
“Too busy.” This one is definitely the most common, and is also the one I just don’t understand. I mean, I can appreciate being busy, but being unresponsive ultimately takes more time because you’re left constantly deleting follow up messages from the person you haven’t responded to.
You’re just not worth their time. Unlike those who use avoidance, these offenders will look your email square in the subject line and decide not to respond. Not that they have a lot on their plate necessarily, it’s just that your request isn’t important enough to warrant their response.
“I was traveling.” No one expects you to respond to every email when you’re on the road, but if someone pings you for some time-sensitive information, I’m pretty sure you can find a few minutes to follow up.
The solution is almost always quick and painless and can be boiled down into a few basic steps.
Acknowledgement. Even if you have to gather some information before you can respond completely, at least send a brief email to let the person know you’re working on it. Or, if you are unable to help, just say so. One quick email can get you off the hook and also keep the person contacting you from repeated follow ups that ultimately make him or her look like a stalker.
Pings. Again, sometimes you’re doing all the right things behind the scenes but the person waiting to hear from you thinks you dropped the ball because they haven’t heard from you. Get in the habit of sending period updates just to let them know you’re on it.
Circle back. If you really want to go above and beyond the call of duty, follow up a few days later to see if they need anything else. Again, we’re talking 1-2 sentences, not a Harry Potter-length email.
Prompt email follow up should be a part of your personal brand. It represents some of the blocking and tackling that separates rock stars from the rest of the pack.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (www.courtingyourcareer.com).
Are you better off working for a company with 10 employees or one with 1000 employees? Well, that depends.
When trying to decide on one opportunity over another, more important than size is optionality. Based on where you think you want to be for your next move and the move after that and realizing this will change over time, which opportunity do you think will open the most doors? For most job seekers, working for a large company and the name and experience it brings with it is more important early in their career than it is later for that very reason.
Working at a well known company with a well established brand will open doors at a lot of other firms. But just as important as their name is what you’ll be doing there. You can work for the most well known company in the world, but if you’re the Chief Copy Officer, I think it’s safe to say you’ll have a hard time transitioning to a more senior role with another company (unless they’re looking for an expert copier).
As a job seeker, applying to a large company is often more straightforward and less stressful than it is with their smaller counterparts. Why? They typically have a structured recruiting program with clearly defined jobs and more opportunities for formal, internal training. As a result, you’ll usually have a better idea of what you’re getting into before you sign on the dotted line. Early in your career, this can be extremely important because your primary objective is to refine and develop a very specific skill set that you can leverage to move up the organizational food chain. However, this might also mean that you have less input on defining your job content and for some people that can be a huge deal. That means if you’re an entrepreneurial free spirit, big corporate might not be right for you long term.
In addition to clearly defined roles and access to structured training programs, the sheer volume of work or deal flow at a large company is often greater (or at least more consistent) than that at a smaller company. That means you could get exposed to more business quicker—a great resume builder. On the downside, you might only get to see a very narrow sliver of the business because larger companies are often more rigid and that might end up pigeonholing you into one particular job or career track. More employees could also equate to more layers which means your face time with upper management might be limited.
In some cases, bigger is obviously better. Before you make your next move, think big picture--don’t just fixate on the numbers. Ask yourself which position and company will give you the most optionality. Get it right, and your payday, as well as career satisfaction, will definitely follow.
Shawn Graham is an Associate Director with the MBA Career Management Center at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School and author of Courting Your Career: Match Yourself with the Perfect Job (www.courtingyourcareer.com).
