ORCMS Career Blog

A study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), concludes that “employees are clearly not benefiting from management efforts to support their careers.”  (From 2000 HR Trendbook)  Out of 1000 employees interviewed, nearly half said their employer’s approach to career development failed to meet their needs.

Here are some of the statistics:

• 44% said their career aspirations are supported by a system for career development through their employers.
• Nearly half (38%) felt that their employers are only concerned about the career development of their “high potential” employees.
• 30% feel their employer is not committed to helping them achieve personal career goals.

Why does this matter?

Well, it matters for both employers and employees.  The coming years will see a shortage of talent in the workforce due to retirement of Baby Boomers.  Most companies have not yet developed a succession plan (42%) or only have an informal plan in place (29%) to meet their needs.  If employees are not given assistance to enhance their career within their current companies, they may find it necessary to move to a different company that provides these services.  Failing to provide programs for retaining and developing employees is a clear case of myopia.  Companies who do not step up to this challenge will find it difficult to keep their brightest and best employees.

It matters to employees, because in today’s work environment you can plan on changing careers every three to 5 years.  You are responsible for “You, Inc.”  Nobody else will manage your company (”You, Inc.”) for you, so the smart money is on managing your own career development.

There are several things YOU, as an employee, can do to enhance your own career from both inside and outside the organization.  Here are a few great suggestions:
1 - Consult your HR or Training department to find out what is offered through your current company. SHRM says that “a lot of unhappiness over career development programs is a communication issue.”
2 - Look elsewhere for career development opportunities.  Check out the local chapter of your professional organization to see what certification or continuing education classes are offered.
3 - Get a degree.  Your employer may offer some form of tuition assistance for this.  Check your employee manual or ask your HR department.
4 - Change companies.  Chances are good that your company’s competitors care more about their employees than yours does.  Why not take a look at working for them?

Are you one of the 44% of employees who feel their employers do not support your career development needs?  If so, what will you do to enhance your own career goals?

• Do you need to grow in your professional abilities?
• Is your industry changing? What do you need to know to allow YOU to move in that direction?
• Do you feel the need to brush up on some particular skills to stay in your industry or profession?
• What are the best practices for people who do the work you do?  Are you following them?
• What “tickets” will you need to have punched so you can take the next step in your career path?
• What don’t you know about business that could change the way you do your job?

There are many reasons to take a class, and many opportunities to do so.  You may want to learn and follow the latest movements in your industry or profession.  You may be interested in learning a new skill.  Perhaps you are wanting to re-tool for a career change.  Or, you may simply need to learn general business skills to supplement your technical skills so you can move up in the company.

Opportunities for continuing education abound in our current culture!  Here are some suggestions that will help you begin your search:

1. You local community college will have classes on many subjects from basic skills to adult education.  These are usually  in-expensive for people who live within community boundaries (your tax dollars at work). They may also have adult education classes you can take for non-credit.
2. Your local State University has probably opened its doors to adult learners.  In the late 1980s the last of the Baby Boomers were graduating from college.  In order to keep their doors open, most Universities developed programs targeting the aging workforce, providing continuing education for those with and without degrees.  Your local University may have just the right program for you!
3. Professional organizations generally offer classes related to a professional certification.  Sometimes you can take the class even if you have no intention of being certified in that area. Or, perhaps it’s time for you to take the test and become a “certified _____”.If so, these classes will help you immensely!
4. Proprietary schools such as University of Phoenix and Capella University have online programs.  Note that many of these programs require you to enroll for a specific degree program, but some of them may allow stand-alone course-work.
5. Several Ivy League and major Universities have courses online — FOR FREE!  Schools such as MIT offer lecture notes, exams, and videos from some of their more popular classes for free online.  Of course, getting credit for these classes will cost you dearly.  Check them out if you don’t need the credit but simply want to learn from some of the best schools in the world.
6. Professional Conferences and Workshops.  Your industry, company, and professional organization most likely have a professional training department.  Find out what classes they have to offer.
7. Join a group such as Toastmasters.  These groups provide specific training n a specific area (such as public speaking).  Many of them will send your employer a certificate after you have completed a basic course.  The certificate will look good on your wall, and your boss will be impressed with your initiation!

Taking a class is a great way to improve your career.  You will learn new things.  You will have fun.  You will meet new people.  You will impress your boss.  All of these are GREAT for advancing your career and your life.

In 2006 a poll was conducted by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).  The poll found that nearly 40% of ALL managers found their current position through some form of networking. Networking is simply THE MOST EFFECTIVE means for finding a career. It ranks above every other method, including: Internet job postings, newspaper want ads, utilizing recruiters (or “head hunters”) and even going directly to the company.

However, most of us are not strategic about HOW we network.  We don’t have a plan.  We don’t have any idea who to meet, or where to meet them, or what to say when we DO meet them.  Here is my “quick and easy” method for turning your networking from a hit and miss technique to strategic dynamite! Use these tips and you WILL improve your ability to network effectively.

1. Make a “hit list” — WHO do you need to meet?  (Could be specific names, positions, companies, etc)
2. WHERE do they hang out?  (What networking events to these people attend?)
3. Where do people who KNOW THEM hang out? (If you want to eat fish for dinner but can’t get to the fishing hole, you should make friends with a fishmonger!)
4. WHAT will you say when you meet them? (You will only have about 30 seconds to make a contact at a networking event.  Use it wisely!)

When you DO have your networking meeting (not the meeting at the networking group, but the meeting following it), here are three questions you want to make sure you ask:

• What can I do for you?
• Who else do you know that I should talk to?
• How shall I keep you informed of my progress?

Keep networking!  It will enhance your career.

My good friend Clara Flory (85 years old at the time) used to say to me, “God gave us TWO ears and ONE mouth.  That’s why we should listen TWICE as much as we talk!” I was a young man at the time and listened politely to what she had to say, but I didn’t fully understand the importance of her comments until later.  Much later.  I wanted to impress people with my vast knowledge.  I wanted them to think I was “smart” and “eloquent”.  When I was unsure if my constant jabbering achieved that goal, I would talk more or louder and listen less.  Now I look back with slight embarrassment.  I jumped to conclusions.  I made assumptions that led me to be unproductive.  I thought I was “solving” problems.  Now I see that I may have created more problems than I ever solved. If I had only listened to Clara.  If I had only LISTENED!

I’m sure this has never happened to you.

Growing up my grandmother had a sign on her kitchen wall that read, “I would rather remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak up and remove all doubt.”  (Abaraham Lincoln)  I have a feeling that “Honest Abe” had a Clara Flory in his past as well.  I wonder how long it took for him to learn this valuable lesson!

In the last tip we wrote about the importance of documenting successes.  In our list we tossed in a recommendation that you also measure your successes.  This is important, because using hard numbers will allow you to show the boss (or hiring manager) specifically how YOU can help them make or save money.   The language of business is numbers.  In order to speak the language of upper level management and business owners, you need to use numbers. But what numbers should you use?

If you are in sales or manufacturing, the numbers are easy to come by. Use monthly or quarterly production numbers.  Use sales targets and successfully achieved (or exceeded) goals. If you manage people, how many? If you manage projects, what is the scope — time? money? other? Nearly EVERY job can have quantifiable results in some way. You may have to spend some time working on the metrics, but a measurement can be given for nearly every task, job or career position in a company — even government and non-profit organizations!

Businesses like to set benchmarks so they know when certain goals objectives have been achieved.  You can set personal benchmarks for yourself as well. Keeping track of key metric indicators will help you know you have accomplished your goals.  It will also help you move ahead in your career!

Here are some tips for setting benchmarks:

• Make your benchmarks appropriate to the scope of the project.
• Begin with the end goal and work backwards.
• Identify key points and establish a number by which to measure the accomplishment of that objective.
• Quantify!!
• Report successes AND missed marks.  You can learn from BOTH!

Here’s a link to a recent podcast from the Cadence Management Corporation where we discussed “Active and Passive Metrics for Measuring Project Success”.  Give it a listen!

Business is about the bottom line. What EVERY business owner REALLY cares about is how you can help her/him make money or save money. No matter how charitable the organization, owners and managers need to focus (at least in part) on the financial side of their company. One of the realities of living in the 21st century is that without cash, the company will not be around very long. Knowing this will allow you to improve your career by doing very little extra work. Here’s how.

You already have successes. You show up and do your job. You do it well. You have volunteered for special projects, which you have completed successfully and on time. You know the chief concerns of your boss (and her boss).  You are able to anticipate (and solve) problems before they arise. You have already distinguished yourself from your coworkers.

The next step is to track and measure your successes. Here is a simple, 5-step plan you can follow to do so:

1. Keep a “Brag Folder”. Include in it a copy of any “atta-boy” and “kudo” emails you receive from up the food chain. Also be sure to include any letters of commendation or gratitude from clients and customers.
2. In the front of the folder, include a “tally sheet” where you can keep a brief, running commentary on the contents of the folder.
3. Don’t forget to document any other successes you might have as well — quarterly sales numbers, targets met or exceeded, your role in any special projects, etc.
4. Solicit recommendations from co-workers and customers. When someone tells you how much they appreciate what you have done for them, ask for a written confirmation of it. Many will be happy to give it to you.
5. Quantify as much as possible — “How much?” “How many?” “How long?” Put a hard number to your successes. Second to a hard number is a percentage, but remember that percentages don’t mean much without the actual figures attached.

By keeping track of the successes you ALREADY HAVE, you will be able to better make your case for a promotion or a raise. Be sure to take the “Brag Folder” with you to your next annual review. You’ll find it helps make your boss’ job much easier, as it gives him/her the fuel they need to show that YOU are an asset to the company.

It may seem obvious, but if you take a look around nearly any office in America you will see millions of people who do NOT follow this simple advice. Many employees spend at least as much time trying to find ways to avoid the work they are paid to do as they do on the job itself. Some people don’t have the proper skills or tools to get the job done, so they spin their wheels and twiddle their thumbs. Some jobs are too boring to allow workers to work efficiently. Others are too overwhelming to allow for long term focus.

In July 2007, Salary.com published its annual “wasting time survey”. The biggest time wasters are things we ALL do: personal Internet use, chatting with co-workers, and conducting personal business on company time. Most companies have policies against things like this. They also expect that people will use the Internet and conduct personal business on company time. In and of themselves, such activities are to be expected — especially when emergencies come up. Most employers are fine with allowing a little “wiggle room” in these areas. When they become overwhelming and counterproductive, however, is when they become a problem.

What, then, are the implications for YOU as you implement this tip?

My father used to say, “If the work slows down, pick up a broom and start sweeping.” The lesson was that . . . “If the owner comes through the shop and sees a bunch of people standing around, he’s likely to think that there is not enough work and will send some people home (without pay). If YOU are the one sweeping, you are the one working. Who do you think he is more likely to send home? You? Or one of your counterparts who is standing around?” I found this to be great advice as a young man — on more than one occasion I got to stay at work (and get paid) while others were sent home.

What is the equivalent of “grabbing the broom” in your office? Now here’s the beautiful part . . .  IF you waste only half of the time others in your department waste, you will increase your production by 10% or more. Would your boss notice? You bet she would!

Show up. Pay Attention. Do your work. Pretty easy tips to implement, and ones that will go a LONG way to helping you enhance your career.  Tomorrow we teach you to start thinking like your boss!

I talked with a client today who told me that local businesses are “cherry picking” sustainability professionals from the state and local government agencies who do this sort of work. That got me to thinking . . . one strategy for getting your dream job is to take a job that will logically lead you to it — even if the next job is a bit “off the mark” from the one you consider to be your dream job. What if you take a job today that will open doors for you to the people who can get you into your dream job? Would you be willing to do something less than “dreamy” for a few months? A year?

For that matter, why not negotiate for the next job while you are interviewing for the first one? Tell your interviewer, “
I can do this job well, and will be a GREAT employee. But the job I really want is __________________ . If I do well in this one (and I know I will), what are the steps I will need to take to get that job?”

If you do this with dignity and respect, your chances of moving up in your new company increase greatly.

Happy Hunting!