As most of you already know, CPGjobs has been running one of the most successful groups on LinkedIn, CPGpeople for nearly 10 years. The success of CPGpeople – now over 36,000 members strong – has sent us two very clear messages:

1. Professionals in Consumer Packaged Goods have a lot to say – to each other, and to the companies that employ them.

1. CPGjobs has developed a strong community within CPG; a community with a unique voice that offers tremendous value to its members.

Here at CPGjobs, we have been engaged in a lively debate over our best approach to expanding our online community and providing a broader venue for CPG professionals and employers alike.

We’ve decided to prioritize our social media strategy and take it to a whole new level – to create a blog that will encompass a variety of topics of interest to both CPG professionals and the companies that employ them.

The new CPGjobs/National Diversity Network blog,  will provide an open forum for you to share what you know, express your opinion, and interact with your colleagues on a variety of topics pertinent to the industry. That being said, we want to do more.

Our experience in the social media space has taught us the importance of allowing you – the CPG community – to drive the organic development of the community. To that end, we are extending an open invitation to you to provide us feedback on what you would like to see at the new CPGjobs blog. We are looking for your suggestions regarding:

• General topics
• Industry news feeds
• Career advice / assistance
• Interaction with employers
• Anything else!

We’ll be getting the new blog started, but we’ll be looking to you to provide us with the direction for this new space.

Take a few minutes, post your comments and suggestions. Feel free to post pieces you’ve written for your own blog or website. Share your opinion on what’s going on in your area of specialty or interest. It’s a great way to showcase your experience, and will help start valuable conversations between professionals in the industry.

We’ll be incorporating your feedback into the ongoing development of the CPGjobs/National Diversity Network blog as we continue to build out the site. We are targeting September for a new look and feel for your  Blog.

We look forward to seeing you on the new CPGjobs/National Diversity Network blog.

Penelope Sallberg and Michael Carrillo

You just found your perfect job on CPGjobs. You filled out your candidate profile completely and updated your resume. Then, when you submit your application and BOOM! You’re sent over to the hiring company’s website where you have to do the same thing all over again! You want to rip your hair out.

I wish I had a $100 for every complaint I receive from candidates about this scenario because I would be very rich indeed. It seems nonsensical.

For the record, let me say that I wish that you only had to fill out our profile and then seamlessly submit for as many jobs as you wanted without having to fill out anything more. Unfortunately, it’s not a perfect world and as someone said to me the other day, “ Life is not as easy as it could be.” Still, it can sometimes help if you understand the reasons for all of this red tape.

The Sarbanes Oxley Act (SOX), also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act, was enacted in 2002 to set new or enhanced standards for all publicly held US company boards, management and accounting firms. The Act was passed as an effort to foster increased corporate responsibility among public companies and included – among other provisions – more financially independent boards of directors.

Although the main focus of SOX was board governance and accounting practices, the Act’s reach also extended into various corporate administrative areas – including human resources. Without going into all of the details here, (if you want to know more, just Google Sarbanes Oxley), the provisions in SOX with regard to the handling of employee complaints, corporate retaliation against whistle blowers, record keeping and more had the effect of corporations establishing and maintaining much tighter controls over internal company records – including the personnel records of potential applicants and current employees. Thus, most public corporations will require applicants to record their interest in employment through their own data capture systems in the form of corporate career sites.

Now let me say that I am not against regulation of corporations, mainly because I believe that most companies are not altruistic. Increasing profit and shareholder value is of primary concern to a corporate entity. We have many regulations in human resources that are set up to protect some people from the behavior of other people. However there oftentimes are unintended consequences.

Sarbanes Oxley was supposed to protect shareholders and the public from the mis-deeds of large corporations, however in the execution of compliance with The Act, corporations are now burdened with complex regulations; so many regulations in fact, that a large SOX Compliance industry has sprung up to help public corporations comply!

Hiring third-party companies to help comply with government regulations is expensive. Paying fines for non-compliance is expensive. Ensuring non-discrimination of minorities is expensive…and necessary. Nonetheless these escalating costs have forced many companies to reduce their HR department budgets. This nearly always translates into a lower HR headcount, fewer people looking at resumes, fewer people receiving callbacks and follow-up. Very often this is why your resume may never get seen, and why no one seems to know anything about the status of a particular advertised position.

So what is the answer? I can’t find one, but I wish I could. How do we teach several generations of workers and bosses to play fair? How do we instill a moral compass into every man and woman rendering constrictive government regulations unnecessary and obsolete? And what has happened to company loyalty – both to and from employees? It seems as though they both disappeared at the same time in a kind of “chicken and egg” relationship. Which came first? Who knows? But I don’t suppose it matters since that kind of employer/employee trust is gone from both sides now.

I will admit to you that I am not particularly happy about what is happening in the employment space right now – and I haven’t liked it for some time. Everything is more complicated and it isn’t helping people to get hired.

If there is a bright spot in any of this I can tell you that if you do take your valuable time to complete your CPGjobs Candidate Profile and you see a job on CPGjobs for which you are well-qualified, we can help get your resume in front of the hiring manager at our client companies through our Candidate Spotlight. Sure, you have to take it from there. But this is a real leg-up when you consider the possible fate of your application when you simply apply for a position – along with thousands of other applicants – solely on a corporate career site.

Countless managers and executives, for all the toughness they may bring to the role, often turn into complete pansies when it comes to dealing with a problem employee.  Are we having fun yet?

In order to keep that tough-minded veneer intact, here are some things you can do to address employee performance issues:

Set performance expectations.  Every employee needs to hear from you exactly what their performance should be and how you expect to measure them.  Once you set clear direction, then ongoing conversations are easier to conduct.  If they are headed for the ditch, you can let them know before it gets too out of hand.

Act quickly.  When you see an issue, you need to jump on it quickly while the details are fresh in your mind and theirs.

Make a script.  One of the biggest issues most managers face is difficulty in knowing how to start the conversation and what to say.  It’s easier to do if you think through the key points you want to make, jot those points down and use your notes while you discuss them with the employee.

Don’t be vague.  Make sure you say early in the conversation, “There is an issue with your performance.”  Short, sweet and no room to misunderstand.

Give examples.  Don’t just say there is a problem; be prepared to give examples that reinforce your observations.

Stay calm.  Sometimes wimpy managers have to get seriously ticked off in order to take action.  Usually at that point they have let things get out of control.  No one listens to a yelling person.  You will loose your effectiveness.  You will also lose respect from other employees if they realize this is how you function.

Ask them to recap their understanding.  In order for anything to change, you have to know they heard AND understood your message.  Ask them to recap what you said and what they will be doing differently.

Schedule follow-up.  You can’t just toss a scud missile at the employee and think your job is done.  While you are together, schedule time to reconvene.  Appointed follow-up will keep you both accountable.

Repetition is key.  Keep in mind that the employee did not come to work for you with the intention of doing poor work.  However, they may have picked up bad habits or haven’t been adequately trained.  To get them on the right track will require your sustained focus and numerous follow-ups before the new behavior is sustained.

If you aren’t dealing with the performance problems, you are creating numerous issues for yourself and those around you.  While this might rank right up there with a root canal, you can reduce the pain with a few thoughtful actions.

For more career tips and advice – FREE newsletter and eworkbook: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com/  From Dorothy Tannahill-Moran – Your Career Change Agent from www.nextchapternewlife.com and www.mbahighway.com

Yet, all too often we join organizations or businesses who, for whatever reason,

haven’t figured out how to measure employee performance.  The performance is measured (if you want to call it that) by “gut”.  Clearly, the yardstick being held up to you are very subjective.  Your success or failure and what it takes to be that way is unclear.  You really don’t know what you’re shooting for nor does your manager.

This relegates your results to something like a work of art.  You’ll know good performance when you see it, which makes your job tenuous to a large degree.  How do you know if or when you are successful?

Although quite a few businesses operate this way, it doesn’t mean they have to stay that way.  It also doesn’t mean it’s a good situation for you or your career.  The issue with a lack of performance standards is that no one, including you or your boss, has true accountability.  This also means you could easily be fired simply because the boss felt like it.  Not that they don’t anyway but your situation is much more defensible if you were meeting performance standards or even consistently exceeding them.

If you have never had performance standards or measured performance, this may all seem like a hard concept to understand.  Many people think their work is not capable of being measured.  That is untrue for most jobs.  The exceptions are in the arts and entertainment industries.  The output of those jobs is truly works of art and success is in the eye of the beholder.  All the rest can be measured.

What should you do if your place of business or manager doesn’t have performance measurements?

1-    Ask for them – While this may not be something the boss can answer, it will get them to thinking.  This may be the nudge they need.

2-    Figure them out yourself – If you have done your job for some length of time, you probably understand what excellence is, even if you haven’t measured it.  You can start tracking the things that you think matter the most.  Once you start tracking it and figuring out how you’re performing, you can share it with your management.  It’s good to set the standards.

3-    Think: Quality, Quantity, Service Measurement, Accuracy, Expectations – If you’re having a tough time thinking through your measures use these words in questions.  What does quality of your work look like?  How do you know it is poor or excellent quality?  You may have work that must satisfy a client.  That may mean you seek feedback in the form of a quick survey.  It’s their opinion, not others that may matter the most.

4-    You may need to measure specific tasks or functions – If your job is fairly diverse, you may need to measure the major tasks in different ways.  An example:  If you manage a budget you may need to be measured on timely submission as well as how close your actuals were to budget.  Then, if you also manage people, you may need to measure their perception of your effectiveness.

When you start a new job, one of your first questions should be about how your performance will be measured.  If they can’t tell you, then make it your goal to get it figured out.  You can feel much more secure in your job when you know you’re truly hitting a target rather than just guessing.

For more career tips and advice – FREE newsletter and eworkbook: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com/  From Dorothy Tannahill-Moran – Your Career Change Agent from www.nextchapternewlife.com and www.mbahighway.com

As a budding leader, this meeting silence has several implications to your plan for career growth and leadership. Depending on the culture of your organization (and how extroverted it is) that silence may be perceived with a wide range of meaning. It can be interpreted as anywhere from standoffish to boring, to not being part of the team, or even lacking leadership contribution. It can make other people uncomfortable. Let’s just say, there is nothing career enhancing about the potential that silence in meetings offers.

Are you going to let your silence stand in the way of a bigger paycheck and corner office?

If you know you are this way to any degree, it’s time to make changes that will put a polish on your Personal Brand and will serve you well.

1. Change your body language. Make sure that your body isn’t putting out the wrong signal. Open your arms and legs, keeping your arms above – not below the table. Lean in occasionally to demonstrate listening and engagement. When speaking, make sure to add a few gestures. If you need to, practice both things in private to get comfortable. Animation is the secret sauce to extroversion.
2. Make an input goal. You don’t have to start big right out of the chute. I suggest to my introvert clients to take a goal to inject your input 2 or 3 times over the course of any given meeting. Keep track of it so you remain conscious of doing this work. If you’re not clear what you would contribute, you can do several things: Endorse someone’s’ opinion. Ask questions and then comment about the response. Since you probably know the topic of the meeting, come prepared to contribute with data or perspective from your work.
3. Speak up. When a group is not accustomed to having you speak, it may not act inclusive. A group can also increase its volume if a discussion goes for any length. Plan to inject louder and over the top of someone else. We tend to politely wait for a pause in the conversation, which may not come until it’s too late. This does sap an introvert’s energy, so take your vitamins. (Hey look here – if you notice, most of what get’s said in a meeting is simply a rehash of what someone else said.  Have you noticed that you say something great and when it gets repeated by someone else, everyone acts amazed?  Be amazing and repeat what someone else said!)
4. Work with key players ahead of time. Depending on the nature of the meeting, plan to interact with some of the key players and frequent talkers ahead of time. Learn each other’s perspectives and they will be more apt to be supportive conversationalists when the time comes. This should appeal to you, as introverts prefer more intimate interactions.
5. Take a break. The issue with the meeting setting and the behavior outlined above is that it quickly depletes your energy. To restore your energy level and be able to push on to the next meeting on the same day, you can do any of several things. You can simply go back to your office and spend alone time on a project or reading a report. You might find that a walk around the building is a nice break. Finding solitude in a steamy cup of coffee will help tremendously. When you plan this way, you will more likely be able to push ahead for more of the same throughout the day. Without doing this, you risk a ‘system shutdown’, which won’t be your goal.

While it may seem like there is a huge distinction between you and the major mover and shaker in the group, it doesn’t take too much change to make a big difference. This is the kind of difference that will make a significant impact in you being seen as the shining leader you know you can be.

As an introvert, you have tremendous assets to bring to any company. Learn introvert ‘adaptation’ strategies that will greatly enhance your career growth. Let me share other vital strategies that will make a huge difference by signing up for my FREE newsletter and also receiving my FREE bonus eworkbook “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” to learn things you can do today to further enhance your job. Click here now: Get your copy of “Should I Stay or Should I Go!”

This is brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran, Introvert Whisperer & Career Success Champion at: www.nextchapternewlife.com.

Have you given any thought to this issue?

The issue is that if your intention is to be in management or even simply promoted, if you can’t self-promote you can almost guarantee yourself a lackluster career.

Is self-promotion a problem for you?

Are you at risk for this barrier to career success? If you are aware that this is a problem for you, here are some things you should know and things you can do to develop your skill:

1. Learn the difference between Bragging and Self-Promotion. Some people think that bragging is self-promotion therefore they loathe it and don’t want to consider doing it. There is a huge difference, which primarily is that bragging is ego based and mindless, pointless commentary meant to try to impress. Self-promotion is useful, focused information shared with people who need to know the information about you, which can help you advance. Big difference and once you know, it will help your introverted soul feel much better about what you are embarking on. (DTM thought: Self promotion doesn’t have to obnoxious to be effective AND yes, I had to learn this too!)

2. Only you can advance your cause. Please, stop thinking that great work will speak for itself! It won’t, you have to. It is important to perform well and once you do, you must assume that the decision makers don’t yet know. Your job is to inform them. You can do informal office drop in’s all the way to presentations on your projects. I usually suggest to my clients that If you don’t know what you would say, follow this outline:
a. Top three accomplishments in the past month/quarter
b. Top three challenges you overcame and how you did it
c. Top one or two things on your immediate horizon

3. Start small. Introverts tend to overwhelm easily and if you start out thinking you are going to do it all tomorrow, you risk a full system overload. Pick one thing, like writing a status report to your boss and anyone else with whom you should communicate. Get in the swing of that before adding anything else.

4. Look for opportunities. Introverts tend to be highly focused on what we’re working on. You may also think you have nothing noteworthy to say that will also be self-promotion. Understand that the weak underbelly of all organizations is communication. You simply can’t communicate enough, which means that what you are working on or have accomplished may actually be needed and interesting to others. Don’t go into massive detail, but look for opportunities to let people know what you’ve been up to.

5. Make this a project. We love tasks. We love projects. Make your self-promotion into a project with specific actions you will take and when you will take them. Look for things you do that you think work well and that you feel good doing. Put more of those on your project plan. Stay focused on this until it becomes second nature to you.

6. Get a new attitude. We self promote all the time. If we didn’t we would never get a job, find a significant other or ever get promoted. Think of self-promotion as sharing information that others will find valuable about – YOU. (I might also point out that some people get a little self righteous about the need to self promote but trust me, you have to)
Self-promotion is vital to your career success. It would have been great if it were a skill you learned in school, but it wasn’t. It is a skill that you need to learn now, and retain for the rest of your life.

As you can see, authentic self-promotion doesn’t have to be icky to be effective. Learn these skills and others that will accelerate your career. Bonus Tip: Adapting is key to your career survival, growth and advancement. You can claim you Free Instant Access to my powerful “Should I Stay or Should I Go” System when you visit : Get your copy of “Should I Stay or Should I Go!” You’ll get Strategic Career adaption strategies and more… Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran – The Introvert Whisperer & Leadership Champion – dedicated to helping you claim and live to your full potential.

Can you relate?

It turns out that our success or failure rarely comes from a “hard” skill but rather the “soft” skills related to our interactions with others.

That’s where the life & professional lessons are for us introverts.

Let me share some of my own story and why I do what I do:

When I was early in my career, it was easy to tell that there were “things” I had to do that would get me ahead in my career. Those things were like talking up in meetings and not just talking but talking over others and even dominating the conversation in a group.

I can remember when I was in a performance ranking session that my boss was holding with my peers and me. He made a comment that stuck with me. The essence of the comment was that I didn’t “defend” my direct reports because I wasn’t arguing over my peers. He was reading my silence as simply allowing the others to bully me into agreeing with how my people were stacking up.

I realized in that moment that if I didn’t say something that his comment would be considered true. I knew it wasn’t.

I very calmly said, “I don’t have to argue to get the results I think are appropriate. I won’t let us leave this room if I think my people have been unfairly ranked, nor will I attempt to unfairly rank others under mine. My responsibility right now is to look at the entire picture to ensure that everyone is treated fairly. Don’t take my silence for a lack of strength.”

I’m not sure where all of this came from but it was true. I was confident that if I needed to debate something that I thought was wrong, that I would. I had learned that you didn’t always have to talk first or the most to get the right result.

That day I learned another valuable lesson.

People can take your silence wrong. They can take it as weakness or compliance or said another way: “rolling over”.

Was that really the way I wanted to be perceived? No.

I wanted to be perceived as strong and fair, thoughtful and respected.

Perhaps the actual perception is unfair but that is how the majority of people will “read” you when you don’t speak up.

I’ve also noticed that the minute someone believes you can be easily trampled on, they will. It’s a nasty human tendency but perceiving weakness is a primitive instinct.

If part of the tribe is weak, then it puts the rest of us at risk. You put yourself at a lot of risk if you allow others to see you as weak. You will not get respect and you will also set yourself up for a form of bullying in the work place. You risk not being a “fit”. This is not a career enhancing personal brand.

Certainly, weakness shows up in other ways other than simply not speaking up but speaking is the first thing that happens between us humans. That makes it the first impression and then continues to be reinforced to create what others will believe about us.

Speaking up is the stuff that leadership is made of.

As a leader, you have to inject your opinion, you have to command respect, you have to communicate a vision or direction, and you have to be stronger than your own tendencies.

Let’s face it – you have to speak up.

Let my life lesson be a your guidance so you don’t have to learn the same lesson the hard way.

I’ve gained great insight and wisdom that can ease your climb to the top, especially if you’re an introvert (or have those tendencies). I’d like to share with you my tips and information for your career. You can claim Free Instant Access to my newsletter for FREE – it’s full of ongoing information and tips you won’t see anywhere else. When you sign up, you will receive for FREE “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” eworkbook that will help you improve your situation at work today. Get your copy of “Should I Stay or Should I Go!”
This is brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran, Introvert Whisperer & Climbing Managers Champion at: www.nextchapternewlife.com.

Do you ever feel like you’re talking to a statue?

They have so little to say you wonder how they got their job in the first place. This situation is so frustrating because you are looking for their direction and validation and yet you aren’t getting it. What do you do?

Before you run screaming out the door try these things:

1- Tell rather than ask. Trust me, if they think you’re about to blow up the business they will have plenty to say. If they felt they needed to approve something, you would know. Your approach should be to keep them updated but you don’t always need to be asking for your work to be validated. In fact, it may be irritating them because you seem insecure.
2- Change your expectations. Not everyone needs to be highly interactive to make their point. If they told you something once, they may be expecting you to pay attention and do what they said. Repetition can get boring especially for a boss that thinks you should know what you’re doing.
3- Be a leader. The hallmark of a leader is setting your direction and taking the initiative. In this situation, the lack of giving you loads of direction is your opportunity to show some leadership.
4- Look at silence as a good sign. I once had someone tell me that I wouldn’t hear from them if everything were going well. A lot of the time, we look for a daily dose of praise for our work. Find your own sense of accomplishment inside yourself and view the silence as a form of affirmation.
5- Check your noise level. Sometimes, introverts will grow quieter if they are around someone who talks too much. The stimulation may be over bearing. If you know you talk a lot, take it down a notch. Let there be silence between you and them occasionally, you may find the silence is a gift.
6- Listen. In addition to taking the talking down a notch, listen and pay attention. You can count on what your Introvert Leader is going to say as well thought out. You can also count on them not thinking they need to repeat it a number of different ways and to add any extra commentary in the process. As a result, you might miss some of the important points they are making. You’d be surprised at how very little most people listen. Be the exception and listen.
7- Look for other modes to communicate. Just as we now know that students learn in different ways, we also know there are different ways we communicate. Find other ways to communicate with your boss than strictly talking. I had a VP who really appreciated reading anything ahead of time, so he could cut down on discussion.

No matter if your boss is loud or quiet, they all have assets for you to learn from. You may discover that you need to adjust your style to take advantage of what they have to offer. Remember – our ability to adapt is key to survival. (Darwin said that. Smart guy and introvert too.)

Bonus Tip: Adapting is key to your career survival, growth and advancement. You can claim you Free Instant Access to my powerful “Should I Stay or Should I Go” System when you visit : Get your copy of “Should I Stay or Should I Go!” You’ll get Strategic Career adaption strategies and more… Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran – The Introvert Whisperer & Leadership Champion – dedicated to helping you claim and live to your full potential.

This article is for those well meaning but clueless people out there who think they are doing us a service.

Print this out and put it up somewhere to help you the next time you feel inclined to be “helpful”.

#1 – Just do it. This advice might work for Nike to say to athletes but it is about as unhelpful and useless as it gets for introverts. Don’t you think if we could “just do it”, we would?

#2 – Your fear is holding you back. No, I’m not afraid. I may loathe doing something that you like doing but do not mistake that for fear. We’re all different.

#3 – You shouldn’t be so shy. I’m also not shy. I just don’t talk as much as others. It also doesn’t mean I don’t hold strong opinions about things; I just don’t feel inclined to have to share everything all the time.

#4 – You need to get out there. While this might be true, if I knew how I’d be doing it. I need to know “how”.

#5 – You need to speak up. Just because I might not talk as much as others in group settings, doesn’t mean those same people aren’t already being influenced by me. I just tend to do my best speaking and influencing one-on-one. Keep in mind that there is always more than one way to accomplish something.

#6- Don’t be so unfriendly. Don’t mistake my silence for an inability to develop relationships. I’m as friendly as the next person but my “friendly” might not be as loud or talkative as you. I also retreat to recharge my batteries. I’m not mad. I’m not being a recluse. I just need to reduce the stimulation while I get reenergized.

#7- You need to get in their face. If I have a conflict with someone, don’t expect me to deal with it your way. I’m not afraid to assert my position. It’s just that yelling is unproductive and drains me too much to do me any good.

#8 – You need to collaborate to get the best… It seems the new trendy thing is collaboration. Everyone seems to think it’s the only way to get anything done or done well. Not only does it shut off the creative juices for me and makes me fall silent, it turns out it’s not really that great. The collective is not better than the sum of its parts. Go look this up.
#9 – Are you sure you want to be in charge? Just because I listen more than I speak doesn’t mean I can’t be a great leader. History and current day shows us we have great leaders who are big-time introverts. Yes, I want to be in charge and I will communicate everything that needs to be said.

Granted, we aren’t the cultural ideal but we are awesome in so many ways. Don’t try to remake us, use our many assets and stop making assumptions.

Bonus Tip: Adapting is key to your career survival, growth and advancement. Get access to Free Video series The 5 Most Common Ways Introverts Commit Career Self-Sabotage and How to Avoid Them. Click here now: www.introvertwhisperer.com/careergoals