Last year, Kens 5 reporter Nadia Ramdass contacted me to interview me for her article, Kicking off the New Year could mean a new job.

Click the link above to see the full article. Her questions and my responses are below.

How often, if at all, do you hear from people making a New Year’s resolution that involves finding a new job?  Is this a realistic resolution to have, why or why not?

It is natural at the beginning of a new year to take stock of our lives. Evaluating how we feel about our work is an important part of this. I would encourage anyone to determine what they would like to change in the next year and then map out the steps to realize the change. The problem is that, as with most resolutions, we tend to be long on intention and short on execution.

For those seeking a new job, what advice do you offer to make this happened?

Be purposeful. First, determine what you would really like to do. Then do some investigating to determine the organizations for which you would like to work. The key is to work informally to have conversations with people who know the organization, and can make referrals deeper into it. Be prepared to discuss your value proposition to the employer. This kind of targeted strategy is more work, but the results are far better than clicking the mouse and hoping to get a response. If you are unable to achieve your objective on your own, it may be time to seek out a qualified career coach.

From your experience, what are the most effective platforms to identify and locate new jobs?

While there clearly are exceptions, most studies indicate that the majority of the jobs are found informally. Suppose there is going to be an exciting job opportunity with a company that is known as a great employer. They treat their people well and pay them well. Before this job gets published, word of mouth is spreading. People who work there are telling people they know about the opportunity, offering assistance in pursuing it. By the time it gets published, they likely have a candidate in mind. Don’t ignore the published openings, but the best strategy is to find and talk with people in position to know about the kind of jobs that interest you.

For those who are out of work, how does one stand out from the pack?

Most people will present what they have done in the past in the form of a resume and hope that a prospective employer will figure out where they might fit in their organization. I encourage people to do the opposite. Do some research. Figure out what the employer needs and where you can contribute. Tell them specifically what you can help them do; then let your past accomplishments support that value proposition.

For employees who are currently satisfied with their employers yet they’re seeking a job promotion, how do you approach your supervisor?

Be clear about the difference you have made in the past and why you are a fit for the new position you seek. People get promoted when an employer believes that the promotion is in the best interest of the organization and will help achieve organizational objectives.

How do you ask your current employer for a raise?

You are in a strong position to ask for a raise when you can clearly demonstrate the value you have brought to an organization. People don't get raises because they need one or want one. They get raises because of their value to the organization. If you're unable to clearly articulate the reasons you deserve a raise, it is likely your employer will be unclear as well.

If you are (as I am) facinated by the longing for, and power of, social conectedness via the internet; then you are going to find this interesting (music lovers all the more).

As you watch, you can't help but think of the possibilities.

If you are in a job search, it will help if you understand that the job market, like any other market, is made up of buyers (employers) and sellers (job-seekers).

My friend Ron Evans does high level executive search. In his book, he exposes the following job search myths and misconceptions:

1. A fantastic looking resume (on the most expensive paper) will catch someone's eye and I'll be saved! Not true. Buyers are usually driven by specific needs and pretty resumes don't change what they need.
2. My network will save me. Only if your network is full of buyers or direct leads to buyers who understand your marketplace value will it save you. Networks and networking must be used carefully because they consume huge amounts of time and energy and have built-in deficiencies.
3. All I need to do is get in front of a buyer (company, recruiter; etc.), and once they see how great I am I'll be home free. Unless the buyer needs someone exactly like you, this is rarely true. Pursuing face-to-face meetings without diligent research and targeting is a time waster.
4. Recruiters help people like me find work. Sorry, but the recruiter's customer is the buyer, not the seller (you). Like any prudent businessperson, recruiters focus on their customers first, which explains why many successful recruiters will often not return your phone call or email unless they believe you fit an assignment on which they are working. If this happens to you, don't take it personally.

So what is the take away? I think Ron's comments are sobering. You must figure out who really needs you. This is going to require more work than most job-seekers expected. Then you must be clear in communicating your value proposition to a targeted decision maker (not a recruiter or someone screening candidates). Let's be clear, a general statement of your abilities is not a value proposition. A value proposition addresses the specific objectives of an organization and how you can contribute to those objectives. Do this, and you'll be way ahead of your competition.

Too often, people feel the artificial pressure to choose between their diverse interests when it comes to their career, as though a choice between one interest or the other(s) were required. The result is the suppression of creativity and God-given talent.

If you have diverse interests, I think you'll find Steven Tomlinson's story encouraging.

I decided to spend an hour every night reading, thinking, and praying about why God put me on this earth. That was a very challenging commitment to keep, because every hour I spent doing that, I wasn’t studying applied econometrics. I was conflicted about whether I could really afford to take that time away from my studies, but I stuck with it—and ultimately figured out the purpose of my life.

Had I instead spent that hour each day learning the latest techniques for mastering the problems of autocorrelation in regression analysis, I would have badly misspent my life. I apply the tools of econometrics a few times a year, but I apply my knowledge of the purpose of my life every day. It’s the single most useful thing I’ve ever learned.

I typically don't expect to find food for my soul in the Harvard Business Review. So you can imagine my surprise to discover the article entitled How Will You Measure Your Life? in the July-August 2010 issue.

As the executive summary states:

Harvard Business School’s Christensen teaches aspiring MBAs how to apply management and innovation theories to build stronger companies. But he also believes that these models can help people lead better lives. In this article, he explains how, exploring questions everyone needs to ask: How can I be happy in my career? How can I be sure that my relationship with my family is an enduring source of happiness? And how can I live my life with integrity?

If you are a leader or manager you are accustomed to looking for measurable ways to evaluate the success an enterprise or project. But how often do we apply the same principles to our lives? When you come to the end of your life, how will you determine whether it was successful? Surely, upon reflection, the standard must be more significant than the stuff we have acquired. I suggest that if you take some time to sit down and evaluate the outcomes you will want at the end of your life, you will discover the most important things are the relationships you have developed, the kind of person you have become, and the difference you make for good in the world - a difference greater than for some personal or corporate bottom line.

Of course, many of you have done this. You have taken stock of your life and decided what is really going to matter. But if you have not, the question remains, how will you measure your life?

HBR article here:

http://hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life/ar/1

Executive summary here:

http://hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life/es

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/jobs/16boss.html?ref=business

A recent OI Partners-Venturion review of 262 companies revealed some interesting insights:

• Almost two-thirds (64%) are apprehensive they may lose managers in a better job market.
• About half (48%) are concerned about losing executives.

Replacing an executive or manager who leaves for another job, or one who turns out to be a bad hire or promotion, can be costly, according to the survey:

• Average of 2.5 times an executive's salary
• Average of 2 times a manager's compensation

The costs are for recruitment and training of the employee who leaves and his or her replacement, lost business, and severance pay and benefits.

Additional insights include:

Consequences of hiring or promoting wrong executives:
Lower employee morale: 81%
Decreased worker productivity: 74%
Lost business and market share: 53%
Higher employee turnover: 48%

Consequences of hiring or promoting wrong managers:
Lower employee morale: 84%
Decreased worker productivity: 82%
Higher employee turnover: 59%
Lost business and market share: 52%

Top reasons why executives do not work out:
Fail to motivate workers and build teamwork: 65%
Unable to accept changes that have occurred in workplace: 45%
Lack skills critical to success in their jobs: 35%

The top reasons why managers do not work out:
Fail to motivate workers and build teamwork: 56%
Unable to accept changes that have occurred in workplace: 55%
Lack skills critical to success in their jobs: 51%

Importantly, more than half (52%) of surveyed organizations said their managers do not have the right skills to achieve their goals. Over one-third (35%) said their executives are lacking the right skills to move their organizations forward.

This means there is a great deal of opportunity for those can effectively articulate a value proposition to an organization and have the strategies in place to get the opportunity to talk to a decision maker.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, February marked first time in 15 months, since October 2008, that the number of employees voluntarily leaving jobs exceeded those being laid off.

Month                 Voluntary Quits            Layoffs
April 2010            1.98 million                  1.75 million
March 2010          1.92 million                  1.82 million
February 2010      1.85 million                  1.82 million

This has obvious implications as to the perception of the supply and demand for talent. When everyone feels "lucky to have a job" employers hold all the cards. Now, employers are beginning to fear losing their best people as opportunity increases.

Recently, Fortune published their annual list of best companies to work for. Of course these companies have worked to create a culture that makes for a good work environment, and for this they are to be commended.

Three companies headquartered in San Antonio made the 2010 list:

    21 NuStar Energy

    38 The Scooter Store

    45 USAA

There were also three from the 2009 list:

    43 Rackspace Hosting

    44 NuStar Energy

    93 Valero Energy

Check out the full list from this year and previous years at

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2010/full_list/