Monday, January 21, 2013

Do You Know Whom to Network With?

By far the most effective way of getting a new job is by networking. When making presentations to large groups, I often test that tenet, and invariably it proves to be true. Therefore, networking is how people in transition should spend most of their time. For many, though, networking is a challenging task because they are introverts or they don’t know with whom to connect and network.

If we took a quick look at all the possibilities, we’d see there are two broad groups: a group with which we have strong ties such as friends, family, or coworkers and a group with which we have weak ties. When asked, most people say that if necessary, they would work on improving their relationships with those in the group with which they already have strong ties. However, sociologists specializing in the field of social interactions have found certain interesting information: (1) although counterintuitive, networking with that other group—the one with which people have weak ties—is more beneficial; (2) more-novel information goes to individuals through weak rather than strong ties; (3) the reason for that is that because our close friends tend to move in the same circles we do, the information they receive overlaps considerably with what we already know; and (4) the quality or strength of interpersonal ties is based on a combination of several things such as amount of time that the people know each other, the level of emotional intensity between them, the level of intimacy between them, the level at which they confide in each other, and reciprocal favors or services they perform for each other.

The sociologists’ research revealed that most jobs were found through weak acquaintances. In fact, one study found that more than half of people who found jobs received the leading information via people with whom they had only occasional contact. This is both interesting and informative, because logic would seem to favor that such information would come rather from those with whom one has frequent contact.

To support the empirical evidence, I’m reminded of an article I read that said two total strangers sitting next to each other in an airplane might end up disclosing to each other certain information that under normal circumstances would be discussed with only very close friends or family.

So, the next time you go networking, don’t cling to your buddies, but start a conversation with a stranger. Who knows? It could lead to a new job.

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Thursday, January 10, 2013

The Job Interview-Morphed into Something Else

Not too long ago, much-respected blogger Tim Tyrell-Smith of Tim’s Strategy conducted a survey, clearly finding that interviewers’ number one concern is “fit with the company’s culture.” From other articles on that subject, too, it seems as if the old-fashioned “Tell me about yourself” and “What are your key accomplishments?” questions—even when answered well—are apparently less important than newer questions such as, “What movie did you see lately?” or “What apps have you uploaded lately on your smartphone?” Another article compared job interviewing to a first date, when you’re trying to find out the other person’s more-general likes and dislikes and not assessing skills.

Years ago, I attended a one-day workshop held by the Disney organization; and the only sentence I remember about the company’s hiring policy was, “We hire for personality and train for skills.” It’s such a simple and yet profound philosophy, and in fact, it obviously works well, because Disney is among the most admired employers.

Glassdoor, a jobs and career community Web site, emphasizes that a pleasant and homogeneous work environment is almost as important to employees as compensation is. Sometimes I ask job seekers the question, Which would you prefer: an intolerable and toxic boss? or $20,000 less and a pleasant work environment? Invariably, the answer is less money and a great boss.

Work environment is a very important commodity. And that’s precisely the reason interviewers are paying more and more attention to whether new hires would fit into their organizations. Unfortunately, in most cases employees cannot change their bosses; but bosses can at least try to hire people who would work well together. And how very logical that is when today’s work environment is so stressful and every employee is expected to perform outstandingly. Additionally, nowadays many company and department goals are being accomplished via teams. And if a team member is not well liked—for whatever reason—the team’s output in its entirety will suffer.

In practical terms, the word fit—when it involves the hiring process—covers such concepts as, Do I like you, and would I enjoy working with you in the future? Would your future peers tell me how much they enjoy having you as part of the team, or is the opposite true? Is my boss going to compliment me for selecting you, or will I hear negative comments about my choice?

So, with the understanding of the importance of fit—in the hiring manager’s mind—how can a job candidate tilt the pendulum favorably? First, appear congenial. Next, stay away from controversy and ambiguity to the extent possible. Next, actively engage the interviewer from your own perspective. In other words, don’t let yourself be positioned as an “accused” in an interrogation wherein you are there to just answer questions; ask questions of your own. And above all, smile. Smile a lot!

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Monday, January 7, 2013

How to Deal with Your Stress While in Transition

Physicians and psychiatrists have proved that there is a positive correlation between stress and illness. People in transition experience various and variable levels of stress. And such stress is not a stand-alone issue but is compounded by other stressors. One study identified three types of life stresses: chemical, physical, and attitudinal. All together there are 43 sources of stress that can cause about 80 symptoms. Of course people have in their lives multiple sources that cause manifestations of compound symptoms.

With regard to chemical impact on the body, the study found coffee drinking, excessive consumption of sugar and salt, regular consumption of various prescription drugs, nicotine alcoholic beverages, air pollution, and even quality of water to be offenders. Physical stressors might be overweight, lack of exercise, excessive commuting, and sedentary lifestyle.

For the sake of this blog, I want to focus on the attitudinal and, more specifically, the emotional stressors and associated symptoms. Examples of stressors associated with being in transition are problems with sleep, inability to relax, heightened levels of frustration, potential for affecting relationship with spouse, adverse effect on mood, and feelings of hopeless and depression. And most people have a combination of such stressors. In terms of symptoms, people in transition might feel depressed or moody, get angry easily, gain or lose significant amounts of weight, go through bouts of insomnia, feel overcome with fatigue, lose ability to concentrate, and experience anxiety, worry, shyness, and isolation. So the question is, how to deal with all of those?

Clearly, ignoring the symptoms is not the answer. Hoping they’ll go away is only wishful thinking. Moreover, doing nothing can cause severe and long-lasting medical consequences. Unfortunately, there is no one answer that fits everybody. Women, for example, like spas, massages, and yoga more than men do. Theater, a movie, or dinner with friends or family may appeal to others. Some would even go for acupuncture and find in that a source for reducing stress. I like walking, which I do almost seven days a week. I walk outdoors when weather permits, and indoors on a treadmill otherwise. Occasionally, I also benefit from a Japanese healing art for stress reduction called Jin Shin Jyutsu. And I have an advantage when it comes to that, for my wife has been a practitioner for over a dozen years. Visit www.jsjmonica.com to see more about it.

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